「天満宮」　渡唐天神図|“Tenmangū,” Sugawara no Michizane as Tenjin Traveling to China

Sengai Gibon

early 19th century · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

This spontaneously sketched image of a Japanese courtier by the Rinzai Zen monk Sengai Gibon alludes to the famous story of Tenjin traveling to Tang-dynasty China. Tenjin is the name given to Heian-period statesman Sugawara Michizane (845–903) after he died in exile and was posthumously recognized as a Shinto deity. The three highly-cursive characters to the left of the figure read ““Tenmangū,” which is the name of shrines created in Tenjin’s honor. By extension, “Tenmangū” can also be used to refer to Tenjin or Michizane himself, as here. The plum was Michizane's favorite flower and he is often represented holding a branch of blossoming prunus. This theme was particularly popular with artists inspired by Zen Buddhism, for instance, see the version created by Konoe Nobutada (2015. 300.72).

Artist

Sengai Gibon

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015