The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Mandala of the Four Deities of Mt. Kōya

Mandala of the Four Deities of Mt. Kōya

1500s
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.)
Location: not on view

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.
  • ?-1999
    Rosemarie and Leighton R. Longhi, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1999-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Vilbar, Sinéad, and Kevin Gray Carr. Shinto: Discovery of the Divine in Japanese Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 226-227, no. 87
  • Shinto: Discovering the Divine in Japanese Art 神道-日本美術における神性の発見. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-June 30, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Mandala of the Four Deities of Mt. Kōya|url=false|author=|year=1500s|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.262