One of the highlights of the museum includes the Onigawara “gargoyles,” located in the “Cultural Exchange Exhibit” on the fourth floor.

Gargoyles are guardians who keep evil away. The gargoyles included in this exhibit were once part of the Dazaifu Government Office building. Take a look around, what do you think? Try looking at the gargoyles from different angles. For example, try squatting down and looking “up” at it.

They are designed to make the observer feel as if they are being looked at directly. What do you think from that angle? Their eyes glaring down at you, just as they used to glare at passersby of the Government Office.

Imagine, you are looking at the same gargoyles that used to stare at our main characters of this guide-- Tabito and Michizane.

★Why were these kinds of gargoyles created?

Try crouching down, then stand back up and look again. You will notice the unique features-- huge eyes, protruding cheeks, and sometimes shape deformation, depending on the artist.

The idea of the gargoyle was brought from the Silla Kingdom of Korea. But while their design was flat, Dazaifu gargoyles were surprisingly three-dimensional. This design idea came from the Tang Dynasty of China. These gargoyles had a sense of originality while at the same time maintaining a sense of their roots, a design fitting of the cultural exchange center of Dazaifu. Because of this, Chinese and Koreans of both today and the past could find a sense of familiarity in their designs.

Not to mention, you might have even noticed a “Buddhist” vibe from the gargoyles, too. That’s only natural, as they say that Buddhist teachers carved these sculptures.

Actually, Dazaifu was rather unique in the fact that craftsmen from many different fields worked in one studio. That’s how such an intertwined collaboration of ideas was born to create these “inter-cultural” gargoyles.

Did you notice the lighting in this exhibit showcases the shadows of the gargoyles? The Kyushu National Museum includes bits of ingenuity throughout the exhibits, aimed at highlighting each piece in a unique way. Please continue to look around and enjoy.