Mandala of the Four Deities of Mt. Kōya

Description

The two kami, or deities, at the top of this painting are Kariba Myōjin and Niu Myōjin. They inhabit Mount Kōya and are described as son and mother. They are shown here as courtiers, with Kariba in Japanese-style court robes and Niu in robes modeled after court garments of the Tang dynasty. The two kami seated beneath are Kehi Myōjin, portrayed as a lady holding a whisk, and the youthful Miyajima Myōjin, with his hair drawn up in loops, playing a lute (biwa). Hōjō Masako (1157–1225), the wife of the first Kamakura shogun (leader) Minamoto Yoritomo (1147–1199), invited them to Mount Kōya.

Provenance

Rosemarie and Leighton R. Longhi, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (?-1999); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1999-)

Mandala of the Four Deities of Mt. Kōya

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1500s

Accession Number

1999.262

Medium

hanging scroll, ink, color and cut gold foil on silk

Dimensions

Overall: 178.6 x 56.3 cm (70 5/16 x 22 3/16 in.); Painting only: 97.5 x 39.3 cm (38 3/8 x 15 1/2 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Rosemarie and Leighton Longhi