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A Heavenly General (One of the Junishinshō)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This figure is one of 12 generals made to protect a statue of the Medicine Buddha, an important healing figure in Buddhism. He wears Chinese armor. This shows that Japanese artists often drew from Chinese art for their designs. They believed that using these existing models gave the statue powerful spiritual properties. Japanese sculptors linked each general to a Chinese zodiac animal. The horse on this general’s head corresponds to the Year of the Horse and a time of day associated with the horse. How is this general similar or different from other protectors or guardians you might know?
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineA Heavenly General (One of the Junishinshō) (十二神将立像), 1200s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333). Wood with lacquer, color, gold, and crystal eyes; 117.2 cm (46 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1988.53
