The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

En no Gyōja with Zenki and Kōki (En no Gyōja)

1615–1868

Japan, Edo period

(1615–1868)
wood with paint
Overall: 24 x 18 x 11.3 cm (9 7/16 x 7 1/16 x 4 7/16 in.)
Gift of Yuko Hosomi and Koichi Yanagi 2012.73.a
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

These figures' miniaturized format allowed them to be portable devotional statuettes that worshipers could carry as they traveled.

Description

This is one of a trio of figures identified as Enno Gyoja and his two attendants, Zenki and Kōki. The set follows the iconography of Shugendo, the traditional mountain ascetic practice in Japan. Enno Gyoja is depicted as a hermit-monk, seated on a rock attached to a modern base. He holds a staff in his right hand and a sutra in the left. The two attendants take the form of half-human, half-demonic figures and are regarded as a married couple.
  • The En no Gyōja figure is seated on a carved wooden dais and has an associated ferrous wire staff which fits into a hole carved into his left hand. The seated figure is painted dark brown and appears to be natabori (hatchet-carved) and ichiboku zukuri, where the head and torso are carved from a single block of wood. The dais consists of two joined carved pieces and was mounted to a larger three-part wooden base that allowed space for the Zenki and Kōki figures to be placed. There is an iron nail located at the back center left of the dais. The Zenki and Kōki figures also appear to be natabori and carved in the ichiboku zukuri technique. Kōki holds a water jug (聖水, seisui or holy water), which is characteristic of her iconography.

    The object was treated in 2022 to remove overall surface soiling, and to remove the wooden base panel which is not original to the work. The cleaning revealed previously hidden crystal eyes, or gyokugan, which were also imaged with x-radiography. Excess adhesive from previous repairs on the figures overall was minimized, and abraded areas were inpainted to improve appearance. The mismatched lower base piece was removed as it was determined to be sufficiently different in material and construction from the rest of the sculpture that it was unlikely to be original.
  • ?-2012
    Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2012-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • “Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2011-2012.” Archives of Asian Art, vol. 63, no. 2, 2013, pp. 215–276. Reproduced: fig. 12, p. 224 43676727
  • {{cite web|title=En no Gyōja with Zenki and Kōki (En no Gyōja)|url=false|author=|year=1615–1868|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.73.a