Explore the Description of this artwork, Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki.
The Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki narrates the life and death of Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), as well as his deification as Tenjin and the foundation in his honour of the Kitano Tenmangū temple in Kyōto, an important Shinto shrine. In its original version, it consists of eight scrolls 52 cm (20 in) high and 8.45 m (27.7 ft) to 12.05 m (39.5 ft) long, although the end is unfinished. The first portion of the text in the original version includes a claim that it was painted in about 1219; that version is commonly referred to as the Jōkyū (or Shōkyū) version, 1219 having been the first year of the Jōkyū era. The majority of studies of the work focus on the Jōkyū version, which is recognised as a National Treasure of Japan.The narrative of the Jōkyū version is divided into four unequal parts. The first part relates the life of Michizane, a scholar and statesman who was influential in the Heian-kyō court despite his humble origins, and who became a popular literary figure. Subsequently, the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by Fujiwara no Tokihira, he was wrongly convicted and died in exile. From the start, he was credited with a divine origin, for he "appeared" as a child in his father's garden; the divine child remains a popular myth of Buddhism, referring to the historical Buddha. Later, his intellectual as well as physical capacities were emphasised, for example through the composition of poems or participation in archery. He died in 903.
In the second part of the Jōkyū version, the vengeful ghost of Michizane returns to earth after his death to torment the actors of the conspiracy, in the form of a god of thunder. Several incidents occur in the years following his death, in particular fires in the capital (Kyōto) and the deaths of his opponents; these misdeeds are swiftly attributed to the spirit of Michizane. More precisely, a priest named Nichizō describes having conversed with him while he crossed the six realms of existence (rokudo), notably the underworld, before returning from the afterlife. Contrary to the original story, Nichizō's journey is recounted in detail, in a fantastic, even Dantesque way.The court finally decided to build the Kitano Tenmangū shrine in Kyōto in 947 in honour of Michizane in order to calm his mind, a passage recounted in the third part of the work; he is worshipped there under the name of Tenjin, a protective god of arts and letters. Finally, the last part relates various miracles related to the temple.
The narrative and context of the time suggest that the original work was created for spiritual purposes. The Tendai Buddhist school is particularly highlighted in it, so much so that the paintings probably had a didactic value, serving as a support for the teaching or the recitation of Buddhist legends. Sessions of explanation of religious paintings (e-toki) were common in the Kamakura period. In addition, any such didactic aspect would also explain the unusually large height of the scroll and the large number of versions. The esoteric beliefs of the time may also suggest that its function was to appease tormented spirits.
Kamakura period National Treasure of Japan Buddhism the historical Buddha e-toki Shinto shrine vengeful ghost Kyōto Kitano Tenmangū Fujiwara no Tokihira Heian-kyō National Treasure Tenjin Jōkyū six realms of existence Sugawara no Michizane Tendai Shinto Michizane