Listen to musician Deems Tsutakawa discuss this artwork.

The story of this Lokapala tomb guardian involves World War II and Yamanaka & Co., a prominent Japanese-owned commercial gallery of Asian art. Yamanaka & Co. had long been a favorite shopping destination for collectors of Asian art. Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, the company opened its New York City store in 1895. It also had stores in the U.S. in Boston and Chicago; in London, England; and in Beijing, China. Seattle Art Museum's founder, Dr. Richard E. Fuller, and his mother, Margaret Fuller, purchased many works of art from the New York store before World War II.

After the Japanese military launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the U.S. government declared war on Japan on December 8. During wartime, the U.S. government seized Japanese-owned property in the United States, including Yamanaka & Co.’s entire inventory, which the government put up for sale at steep discounts. The company’s staff, a mix of Japanese nationals and U.S. citizens, continued working under government supervision. By the summer of 1944, everything had been sold and the store was closed. All profits were forwarded to the U.S. Treasury. Yamanaka & Co. reopened in Japan after World War II but never achieved the pre-war level of business.

In the fall of 1943, Yamanaka & Co.’s valuable art was photographed and catalogued for sale to museums and collectors. The Seattle Art Museum purchased numerous works from the catalogue, including this Lokapala.