Tōdai-ji Temple Wooden Sculpture, Kei School Of Sculpture, Nara, Kansai, Japan Stock Image

Unkei’s fierce guardian figure Ungyō in the Nandaimon is typical of Unkei’s powerful, dynamic bodies. It stands in dramatic contrapposto opposite the other muscular Guardian King, Agyō, created with Kaikei and other Kei sculptors.Both figures are fashioned of cypress wood and stand over eight meters tall. They were made using the joint block technique yosegi zukuri, that used eight or nine large wood blocks over which another layer of wooden planks were attached. The outer wood was then carved and painted. Only a few traces of color remain.