Mandala of the Four Deities of Mt. Kōya
Unknown Artist
1500s
Medium
hanging scroll, ink, color and cut gold foil on silk
Dimensions
178.6 × 56.3 cm · painting only: 97.5 × 39.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Rosemarie and Leighton Longhi
Accession Number
1999.262
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
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...