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Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Sculptors carved these two figures to look like members of the guard who protected the Japanese aristocracy in the 10th to 12th centuries. The pair belong in the roofed gate of a Shinto shrine. Their role was to embody the divine protectors of the deities, or kami , residing at the shrine. Their inset crystal eyes make them appear vigilant.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin) (随神像), c. 1560–1625. Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573) to Edo period (1615–1858). Japanese cypress (hinoki) with traces of color; crystal; 68.5 x 71.4 cm (26 15/16 x 28 1/8 in.); 70.2 x 70.5 cm (27 5/8 x 27 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 2020.215
