Junishinsho (Twelve Divine Generals) (極小仏 十二神将立像)

These wooden statues are modeled on the Twelve Divine Generals, Important Cultural Property owned by a temple in Nara, and carved to an extremely small size of less than 10 cm. Believed to have been made in the middle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), these masterpieces feature the heads of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac as well as exaggerated and freely-expressed limbs that distinguish them from other Twelve Divine Generals statues.

By bringing many years of experience together with technology in producing Buddhist statues, we have achieved excellent molding capabilities that transcend size restrictions, along with affordable prices. The refined gold paint on the statue was installed under the supervision of Chihiro Takamura.

Realizing a molding balance that is the same as the actual statue, especially for a wooden statue measuring only about 10cm was a big challenge. The material used is Japanese boxwood, which is perfect for finely sculpted details, with the face, the statue's most important aspect, being carved exactly in the image of the actual statue. The workshop of Isumu is in charge of applying the gold paint, under the supervision of Ms. Takamura. This is a collection that we can heartily recommend, packed with the know-how of Butuzou World's statuemaking, all in a small size.

About Chihiro Takamura: Born in Tokyo in 1962, she entered Joshibi University of Art and Design (majoring in oil-painting) after high school graduation. In 1987, she was taken in as a student by Fuzan Hirano, a master of colored woodcraft. For the next 20 years, she devoted herself to her craft and began painting wooden statues based in Buddhist imagery and Japanese classics. More recently, she independently established the Chihiro Takamura Painting Institute. Her diverse creative talent ranges from familiar imagery to works of profound artistic merit.. In examining the works of Chihiro Takamura, it is worth noting that up until the Edo Period it was normal to apply color to Buddhist statues, but this changed during the Meiji Period when the formalistic ideas of Western Sculpture became pervasive and the coloring of Buddhist statues stopped. In contrast to such climate of the times, the revival of ancient Japanese colored wood carving was made possible largely due to the efforts of Denchu Hiragushi, a giant of Japanese sculpture world who received the Order of Culture. Denchu left behind many famous works and the color work for these works were mostly taken charge of by the colorist Fuzan Hirano. Chihiro Takamura is a legitimate successor of Fuzan and is the foremost figure in the coloring of Buddhist statues today.

• Size: 94(H)×48(W)×29(D)mm 26g / 88(H)×37(W)×36(D)mm 26g / 90(H)×45(W)×30(D)mm 22g / 89(H)×43(W)×35(D)mm 25g /89(H)×40(W)×30(D)mm 19g / 88(H)×65(W)×50(D)mm 26g /96(H)×42(W)×27(D)mm 21g / 84(H)×30(W)×30(D)mm 19g / 88(H)×35(W)×37(D)mm 21g / 90(H)×44(W)×50(D)mm 28g / 89(H)×45(W)×29(D)mm 26g / 86(H)×33(W)×26(D)mm 18g
• Material: Tsuge (柘植)
• Made in China
• You can choose the option to consecrate this statue (give an eye-opening ceremony) before it is shipped from Japan. If you choose this option, we will bring the statue to a Japanese temple, and pay them the necessary fees so that your statue is properly consecrated. The temple will issue a certificate of proof with your name on it, which will also be shipped together with your statue
• Shipped globally from Japan by using DHL. DHL is the world-class shipping services provider who makes international delivery a fast, smooth, and hassle-free experience. Delivery time can be faster than when shopping at an e-commerce website in your country, and of course your package will be covered by insurance. You can check the shipping cost for your entire order before you make a purchase