id:			146711
accession number:	1972.158.2
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1972.158.2
updated:		2023-08-23 22:22:45.055000

Guardian Figure: Nio, 1200s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1333). Chestnut and cypress; overall: 167.9 cm (66 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1972.158.2

title:				Guardian Figure: Nio
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1200s
creation date earliest:		1200
creation date latest:		1299
current location:		
creditline:			Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1333)
technique:	chestnut and cypress
department:	Japanese Art
collection:	Japanese Art
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 167.9 cm (66 1/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Year in Review: 1972
	opening date:   1973-02-27T05:00:00
	<i>Year in Review: 1972</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).

	title:		Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture
	opening date:   1975-09-24T04:00:00
	<i>Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

	title:		Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018
	opening date:   2017-07-15T04:00:00
	<i>Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Buddhist temple in Shiga Prefecture, Japan
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	(Yanagi Fine Art Shop, Kyoto, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
	date: ?–1972
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1972–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:


digital description:


wall description:
A pair of guardians usually stands at the entrance of Japanese Buddhist temples. Traditionally, the pair included a closed-mouth figure, one hand displayed as if indicating his potential power, and an open-mouth figure, expelling his full force against evil spirits. Nio figures were usually displayed outdoors, often with just the roof of the entrance gate as protection, and as such were particularly susceptible to weathering.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1972.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>, vol. 60, no. 3, 1973, pp. 63–115.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 98, no. 290; Mentioned: p. 114
	url:		https://www.jstor.org/stable/25093732

	<em>Nippon no bijutsu</em> (November 1972), no. 78.
	page number: 	pp. 105, 106, 111
	url:		

	Shōichi Uehara. "Wooden Statues of Vajrapāni." <em>Kobijutsu </em>古美術 (December 1972), no. 39, pp. 111–113.
	page number: 	Reproduced: plates pp. 105, 106
	url:		

	Zenzo Shimizu, "Japanese Sculptures in America and Canada," <em>Ars Buddhica </em>佛教藝術, no. 126 (September 1979), part I, pp. 67-88.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 70, fig. 13, and p. 71, fig. 14
	url:		

	Roukes, Nicholas. <em>Masters of Wood Sculpture</em>. New York: Watson-Guptill Publishers, 1980.
	page number: 	Reproduced: p. 14
	url:		

	Liebson, Milt. <em>Direct Wood Sculpture: Techniques, Innovation, Creativity</em>. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2001.
	page number: 	p. 14
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.158.2/1972.158.2_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.158.2/1972.158.2_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1972.158.2/1972.158.2_full.tif