Artwork Page for Portrait of Sugawara Michizane

Details / Information for Portrait of Sugawara Michizane

Portrait of Sugawara Michizane

late 1400s–early 1500s
(Japanese, active late 1400s to early 1500s)
Measurements
Painting: 100.8 x 50.2 cm (39 11/16 x 19 3/4 in.); Mounted: 189.2 x 65.2 cm (74 1/2 x 25 11/16 in.)
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view

Description

Sugawara Michizane (845–903) was a Kyoto aristocrat who died in exile in Dazaifu in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, having been slandered at court. His vengeful spirit was later pacified by the construction of shrines in his name. His image was incorporated into the repertoire of Zen Buddhist figure painting, which included bodhisattvas, Daoist immortals, and other enlightened beings. Eminent monk Sakugen Shūryō (1501–1579) inscribed this work, which was painted by monk-painter Yōgetsu of Kyushu, who traveled east to study either in Kyoto or Kamakura. The Chinese-style poem is an ode to Michizane in his guise as the deity Tenjin.
A hanging scroll depicts a portrait of an older man with a light skin tone seated turned slightly to our left, enveloped in a voluminous dark robe. He has a white beard with each strand finely drawn and wears a black hat with a tall extension. He holds a thin wooden tablet. Above him, columns of calligraphy with red seals are arranged against a muted tan background, framed by a patterned blue and gold border.

Portrait of Sugawara Michizane

late 1400s–early 1500s

Yōgetsu

(Japanese, active late 1400s to early 1500s)
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)

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