We haven't heard much from Troy Stith of Gorilla Mouth for the last few months but now we know why: he's been busy working on this amazing-looking commissioned piece, The Guardian.
When Japanophile Neath Grim struck upon the idea of adding a Bonsai tree to a display case of Anime-themed toys, Troy was commissioned to design and create just such a piece. And this is the result.
The village of Mikomi sits about one hundred yards from the twin trunked behemoth known to locals as ‘The Guardian’. The mighty tree once stood with both trunks intact and it was nothing more than a favorite lounging spot for the people of the village. That was until the night a massive storm fell upon the forests surrounding Mikomi.
Wind gusts picked away at houses while torrential rain soaked through thatched roofs. Villagers huddled next to one another as the clouds bellowed out earth shaking thunder. Flashes of lightning illuminated the terrified faces of the children before plunging them back into darkness. Village elders tried to remain calm, but even their hearts quivered with fear as the storm’s anger grew.
Suddenly a large white flash and an even bigger crack deafened the terrified villagers. Moaning and creaking were followed by the sounds of leaves and branches falling to the ground. As soon as the sound ended, the rain began to let up, but the villagers stayed in place. Deciding that there was nothing they could do in the darkness of night, they would wait until morning to assess the damages.
As soon as the warm rays of light began to fill the village, the people of Mikomi started to surface from their hiding spots. Mikomi’s shaman Opler was the first to discover what the large crash was that marked the end of the storm. The large tree the village had always taken for granted, had been struck with lightning severing one of it’s mighty trunks. Opler took this as a sign, that this tree had sacrificed it’s brother in order to protect the villagers. The base of the tree had become a cavern of charred remains and growth feeding the remaining living trunk.
Opler named the tree ‘The Guardian’ and began the tradition of paying homage to this protector. To this day the villagers of Mikomi pin sheets of gratitude and prayer within the cavernous trunk.
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