Twelve Heavenly Generals from Joruriji
Kamakura period, thirteenth century
A row of armoured warriors in violent motion, each with a different fierce face, some with mouths open in a shout, some with fists clenched around weapons, hair standing on end and eyes that glitter because they are made of crystal. Each wears an animal of the Chinese zodiac in his headdress. These are the Twelve Heavenly Generals, guardians of the Buddha of Healing, who protect believers through the twelve hours of the day and the twelve directions. The museum holds several figures from a set made for the temple of Joruriji near Nara.
The sculptures date from the thirteenth century, the age of the great Kei school carvers who gave Japanese sculpture a new realism. Each figure was carved from several blocks of cypress joined together, hollowed to prevent cracking, and finished with layers of paint and patterns of cut gold leaf on the armour, much of which survives. Look into the eyes: a thin sheet of crystal was set from inside the hollow head, with the pupil painted behind it, so the eyes catch the light and follow you. Notice too the swirling drapery and the twisted, weight shifting poses.
The set was divided in the twentieth century, and today the figures are shared between this museum and the Seikado foundation, and they are Important Cultural Properties. The museum shows them in the sculpture room on the ground floor of the Honkan, usually a few at a time, alongside Buddhas and bodhisattvas from other temples. Find the general with the dragon in his hair and compare the expression of rage with the serene Buddha figures nearby; the contrast is the whole point of these guardians.
Did You Know? Their glittering eyes are thin discs of rock crystal set into the hollow wooden heads from the inside.
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