Monk Ippen Giving a Warrior the Tonsure after His Wife Took Vows as a Lay Buddhist Nun
Yamada Shinzan Japanese
Not on view
Taira no Kiyomori (1118–1181) can be considered the first of the great samurai-generalissimos of Japanese history. His victories in the Hōgen and Heiji Insurrections marked the rise of the provincial warrior class to positions of absolute political power. Although Kiyomori was appointed to the position of dajō-daijin (prime minister, the highest court position) and married his daughters into the imperial family, eventually the Taira clan he led was overwhelmed by the Minamoto clan, as related in the medieval martial epic The Tale of the Heike. The poignant account of Kiyomori falling ill and taking Buddhist vows is shown here. Yamada Shinzan, one of the most prominent Okinawan painters of Nihonga (modern “Japanese-style painting”), was a student of the nationalist and pro-war Nihonga master Kobori Tomoto (1864–1931). He lost two sons in World War II and was caught up in the political affairs of Okinawa during and after the war and in the subsequent U.S. Occupation. While further research is required, this painting can likely be read in the context of Okinawa’s loss of independence.
On view from August 28, 2021–April 24, 2022
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