Shitennō (Jikokuten, Zochoten, Tamonten, Komokuten)

A group of paintings installed on standing wooden frames, Shitennō depicts contemporary representations of Buddhism’s Four Heavenly Kings. Each of the figures correspond to the guardian of a cardinal direction and also to one of the four seasons. The life-sized forms, standing atop defeated demons, directly reference the eighth century examples located in the Todaiji Kaidanin temple in Nara, Japan. Jikokuten (East; spring), Komokuten (West; autumn), and Zochoten (South; summer) are drawn with meticulous outlines and detailed patterns and colors, while Tamonten (North; winter) is rendered only in contours save for the face and hands; all are adorned with attributes of each deity. Yamaguchi subverts the traditional male identity of the guardians by using the faces of contemporary women (both real and imagined) and reinterprets their iconography by updating the armor and accessories, gestures and postures, and embellishments and patterns with those typically associated with women. While the figurative style evokes the ink brush painting techniques of Nihonga, or traditional Japanese painting, Yamaguchi’s blending of oil, watercolor, and sumi ink creates a sense of ethereality and movement that breaks down the disciplinary divide between Japanese and Western painting. Installed on wooden stands that allow different configurations, these guardians reference the ceremonial function of Buddhist statues and underscore Yamaguchi’s mission to update tradition through personal nuances.