The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of September 9, 2026
Portrait of Sugawara Michizane
late 1400s–early 1500s
(Japanese, active late 1400s to early 1500s)
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.)
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.- The Cleveland Museum of Art, "Reeds and Geese: Japanese Art from the Collection of George Gund III" (May 21- September 3 2017)Reeds and Geese: Japanese Art from the Collection of George Gund III. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 21-September 3, 2017).
- {{cite web|title=Portrait of Sugawara Michizane|url=false|author=Yōgetsu|year=late 1400s–early 1500s|access-date=09 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2015.491