NIO (temple guardian)

Medium:: Woodblock print
Edition:: Self-printed
Source:: wbp

Typical Price

$300–$3,000. Common folk art prints: $300–$800. Key value factors: Mori's cheerful folk art prints are affordably priced. His stencil technique (kappazuri) is distinctive.

Description

NIO (Temple Guardian) presents one of the Deva Kings — the fierce muscular guardians who stood at the gates of Buddhist temple complexes, their terrifying appearance intended to drive away evil spirits and intimidate those who approached the sacred precincts with impure intentions. The Nio, typically paired (one with open mouth, one with closed) in the gate towers of major temples, were among the most dramatically depicted figures in Japanese religious art, their exaggerated musculature and fierce expression a deliberate aesthetic of power. Mori's bold stencil technique was ideally suited to the Nio's visual vocabulary of exaggerated intensity.