Kongō Rikishi

Guardian height 204 cm. This impressive statue, made in the assembled parts technique (yosegi-zukuri), portrays one of the two dvarapalas, or guardians of the temple and Buddhist doctrine, placed in pairs on either side of the outer doors of monastery enclosures. It is a powerfully expressive human figure, with a bare chest, bulging muscles, prominent veins, piercing eyes and a mouth closed and contracted to express the explosive force of the syllable “un”, the terrible mantra of the wrathful deities. The powerful style of the Kei school, to which the sculpture belongs, appealed to the military caste that had gained control of the country at that time. Hollow base 37.8 cm high (27.5 cm to the support surface): the maximum dimensions of the base are the same as those of its outline. Kei School. The lips are tightly shut to pronounce the “un” sound. Originally it would have held a vajra in the left hand. During restoration a rectangular framework was added to the interior of the base, to distribute the weight of the sculpture more evenly. The framework is 24 cm high (10 cm reachable), 40.8 cm wide and 55 cm deep. An in-depth diagnostic analysis campaign was conducted by “La Venaria Reale” Conservation and Restoration Centre in 2006-2008 (documentation in the archive).