Artwork analysis: Legend of Kitano Shrine

 



The piece I chose to write about it the artwork called, “The story of the God of Kitano Tenjin,” which was during the Kamakura period in the 13th century.  The purpose of this these scrolls are to depict the origin of the Kitano Shrine of the Tenjin cult, one of the most important in Shinto, and indigenous religion of Japan.  The piece is to visually express using demons, spirits and humans the vengeance against the minister Fujiwara Tokihira which is seen in the piece brandishing a sword against the angry spirit of Sugawara-no-Michizane, Sugawara was a rival who was killed by Tokihira.  This piece is one of thirty-seven illustrations painted in the second half of the thirteenth century for one of the many Shinto shrines dedicated to appeasing the spirit of Michizane.  Each scroll during this time used ink and color on regular handscroll paper.  After the death of Michizane followed natural disasters and illness that plagued the capital.  Ever since his spirit had been dedicated to the thunder god in northwestern Kyoto his spirit had been, “pacified.”  This artwork is interesting to know because it gives the depiction of a story of events that really happened but characterized with demons, spirits, and even gods.  This is like the Roman culture in the use of gods and their power, but the Kamakura used the depiction of gods as vengeance.  The use of spirits as the protector or guardian of a temple or shrine.  Then people used to visualize what the people have done.  The visuals are very strong in their depictions being able to identify immediately those characterized while having a dark undertone through the multiple pieces. 




The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art Treasures of the Metropolitan: A Selection from the European and Asiatic Collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Ar. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1952, p. 239, fig. 205.

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