Male and Female Shinto Deities

10th century

Not on view

This pair of Shinto deities is represented in human form, wearing Heian court dress to suggest sacred and secular authority. These figures were likely produced in connection with the ancient court practice of honoring the spirit ancestors of aristocratic families as a reward for their political and cultural contributions. The square faces, stout bodies, and deeply carved robes resemble the stylized rendering of early Heian-period Buddhist sculpture.

Artwork Details

男神坐像・女神坐像
Title: Male and Female Shinto Deities
Period: Heian period (ca. 900–1185)
Date: 10th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Japanese cypress with traces of color
Dimensions: H. 20 5/8 in. (52.4 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.256a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

In the same medium

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

The Bodhisattva Jizō, Intan Japanese, Japanese cypress wood (hinoki) with polychrome pigments, gold paint (kindei), cut gold leaf (kirikane), and rock-crystal eyes, Japan — The Bodhisattva Jizō
Intan
1291

Guardian Lion-Dogs, Japanese cypress with lacquer, gold leaf, and color, Japan — Guardian Lion-Dogs
Japan
mid-13th century

Fudō Myōō, the Immovable Wisdom King (Achala Vidyaraja), Kaikei Japanese, Japanese cypress with lacquer, color, gold, cut gold leaf (kirikane), and inlaid crystal eyes, Japan — Fudō Myōō, the Immovable Wisdom King (Achala Vidyaraja)
Kaikei
early 13th century

Flying Apsaras (Hiten), Japanese cypress with lacquer and gold, Japan — Flying Apsaras (Hiten)
Japan
late 11th to early 12th century

Jizō, Bodhisattva of the Earth Store (Kshitigarbha), Kaikei Japanese, Lacquered Japanese cypress, color, gold, cut gold, and inlaid crystal, Japan — Jizō, Bodhisattva of the Earth Store (Kshitigarbha)
Kaikei
ca. 1202

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.