Four of the Twelve Heavenly Generals
Mori Yoshitoshi Japanese, 1898–1992
Not on view
This large-format stencil print shows four of the Twelve Heavenly Generals (Jūni shinshō), Buddhist protective deities associated with Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Master Buddha. The artist, Mori Yoshitoshi, was close to Yanagi Sōetsu (1889–1961), part of the Mingei folk craft movement, as well as the print artist Munakata Shikō (1903–1975) and Serizawa Keisuke (1895–1984), both of whom created stencil-dyed textiles. These artists, although working in different media, shared an aesthetic of bold, graphic forms that drew on traditional folk art. After a public dispute with Yanagi in the early 1960s, Mori broke from the Mingei movement and moved into making kappazuri, or stencil prints, which he carved himself. The origins of kappazuri can be traced to stencil dyeing (katazome) used for textiles.
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