Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines

late 16th–early 17th century

Not on view

This set of three handscrolls narrates a fantastical account of the Indian origins and ultimate enshrinement of three deities at Kumano, one of Japan’s most sacred locales. The story is told through a mix of text and image presented in a linear format, conveying progression through time and space. The first two scrolls depict the story of an unnamed consort—one among a thousand—of an Indian maharaja. She gives birth to the ruler’s only son but is immediately beheaded at the hands of the other 999 consorts, who are bitterly jealous. The maharaja, his consort, and the prince are eventually enshrined as the deities of Kumano, whose places of worship are introduced in the final scroll.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

熊野縁起絵巻
Title: Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines
Period: Momoyama period (1573–1615)
Date: late 16th–early 17th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Set of three handscrolls; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Image (a): 9 1/2 in. × 33 ft. 5 5/8 in. (24.1 × 1020.2 cm)
Image (b): 9 1/2 in. × 20 ft. 2 5/16 in. (24.1 × 615.5 cm)
Image (c): 9 1/2 in. × 13 ft. 9 3/4 in. (24.1 × 421 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.18a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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