“Tenmangū,” Sugawara no Michizane as Tenjin Traveling to China
Sengai Gibon Japanese
Not on view
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).
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