・年代：平安時代　11～12世紀
・法量：阿形135.3cm／吽形136.2cm
＊新収蔵

Statue of the Two Heavenly Kings
Era: Heian period, 11th–12th century
Dimensions: Agyo 135.3 cm / Ungyo 136.2 cm
*Newly acquired

甲冑に身を固め、邪鬼を踏んで立つ二体一対の天部像。二天像は四天王の内の二尊を選び、造像するもので、寺院の中門や本尊の左右に立ち、仏や寺院、仏教徒を魔や災厄から守る守護神です。二天像は左右対称の姿が基本で、本像も腕や足の上下、腰の捻り、一方を開口、他方を固く口を結ぶ阿吽の姿としてこの例に従っていますが、甲冑細部は変えて変化を持たせています。太くがっしりとした体躯はたくましく、細身で颯爽とした鎌倉の天部像とは対照的な「強さ」の表現を見ることができます。

Clad in armor and standing on demons, these two paired celestial guardian statues are part of the Four Heavenly Kings, chosen to be sculpted and placed at the middle gate of temples or beside the main deity. They serve as guardians protecting the Buddha, the temple, and Buddhists from evil and calamities. The statues are typically symmetrical, and this pair follows that tradition with their arms and legs positioned up and down, torsos twisted, and one mouth open while the other is tightly closed in the Agyo and Ungyo forms. However, the details of their armor vary to add diversity. The robust and sturdy bodies express a form of "strength" that contrasts with the slender and elegant celestial guardian statues of the Kamakura period.