神功皇后図|The Legendary Empress Jingū

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎

dated 1847 · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

Jingū is said to have been a third-century ruler of Japan. Following the death of her husband, she donned armor and, according to legend, led a military campaign into the Korean peninsula. A powerful shamaness, Jingū is regarded as an example of the onna-bugeisha, woman warriors who fought alongside men. She is often depicted in masculine garb with a sword, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎

Date

dated 1847

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Charles Stewart Smith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914