Artwork Page for Shinto Deities

Details / Information for Shinto Deities

Shinto Deities

神像

900s

Japan, Heian period

(794–1185)
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Medium
wood, with traces of polychromy
Measurements
Overall: 50.3 x 38.1 cm (19 13/16 x 15 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1978.3
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Traces of pigment on the surface of these sculptures indicate they were once painted.

Description

These sculptures represent kami, the name for deities associated with the Japanese religious tradition known as Shinto. They are said to have originally been created for the Usa Hachiman shrine in Oita on the island of Kyushu. Usa Hachiman Shrine houses four main kami: Hime Okami, who assists those engaged in agriculture and sea travel; the legendary 5th-century emperor Ojin deified as the kami Hachiman; Empress Jingu; and the kami of Mount Kawara, who aids copper miners. The identities of these two figures are unknown, but they belong to a larger group containing at least three other deities.
Two wood sculptures depict seated Shinto deities with pitted surfaces and remnants of reddish-brown paint. Both have downcast eyes and visible wood grain. The left figure wears a flat-topped cap, holding a vertical tablet at their chest above a weathered, cracked base. On the right, the figure wears a rounded headpiece and raises their right hand, palm forward.

Shinto Deities

900s

Japan, Heian period (794–1185)

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