The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

God of Thunder (Raijin)

God of Thunder (Raijin)

mid-1600s
(Japanese, c. 1570-c. 1640)
Image: 150.4 x 343 cm (59 3/16 x 135 1/16 in.); Overall: 162.4 x 355.8 cm (63 15/16 x 140 1/16 in.); Panel: 162.4 x 59.2 cm (63 15/16 x 23 5/16 in.); with frame: 165.6 x 358.6 cm (65 3/16 x 141 3/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

Such depictions of the God of Thunder originated in Buddhist art. Here, the image was painted on paper covered with gold dust, a technique often found in paintings by Tawaraya Sotatsu or of the Sotatsu school. This gold technique and the "Inen" seal here suggest that the anonymous painter of this screen was probably associated with the Sotatsu workshop. The artist used a prototype borrowed from earlier Japanese narrative painting—rather than mechanically reproducing Sotatsu’s image—and created a bold, innovative image that served the world of play and leisure in early Edo Japan.

The theme of "God of Thunder" was often paired with "God of Wind" and has been frequently reinterpreted by generations of Rimpa artists. Unfortunately, the screen God of Wind which would have accompanied this God of Thunder cannot be located.
  • ?-2004
    (Leighton R. Longhi Inc., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2004-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Masello, David, Dick Kagan, and Doris Goldstein. “Top 100 Treasures.” Art & Antiques vol. 28, no. 11 (November 2005): 75–103. Mentioned: p. 90, no. 53 web.a.ebscohost.com.ingallslibrary.idm.oclc.org
    Tsuji, Nobuo 辻惟雄, Takeo Izumi 泉武夫, Yūji Yamashita 山下裕二 , Masaaki Itakura 板倉聖哲, and Toshinobu Yasumura 安村敏信 . Sōtatsu, Kōrin to Katsura Rikyū: Edo jidai II [宗達・光琳と桂離宮: 江戶時代 II]. Tōkyō: Shōgakkan, 2013. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 233, fig. 40
    Admired from afar: masterworks of Japanese painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art [クリーブランド美術館展 : 名画でたどる日本の美 Kurīburando Bijutsukan ten: meiga de tadoru Nihon no bi ]. Tokyo: Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan, 2014 Reproduced: cat. no. 15, pp. 58-61
    Longhi, Leighton R. Leighton R. Longhi: Forty-Five Years in Asian Art. [New York, N.Y.]: Leighton R. Longhi, 2019. Reproduced: pp. 288-289, fig. 282
  • Admired from Afar: Masterworks of Japanese Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, Japan (January 15-February 23, 2014); Kyushu National Museum, Fukuoka, Japan (July 8-August 31, 2014).
  • {{cite web|title=God of Thunder (Raijin)|url=false|author=Tawaraya Sōtatsu|year=mid-1600s|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2004.86