The legendary founder of a sect of mountain-dwelling religious practitioners called Shugendō, En no Gyōja is said to have lived during the seventh century on Mount Katsuragi, near the ancient capital of Nara. He is believed to have conjured Zaō Gongen of Mount Kinpusen, the guardian deity of Shugendō.
In this portrait, En no Gyōja appears in his conventional hood, monk’s robe, straw mantle, and wood sandals. He is usually shown holding a vajra (thunderbolt sword) and a shakujō (jeweled staff with six rings); here, however, he bears a rosary and one of his two servant-demons has the shakujō. According to legend, En no Gyōja ordered these demons (one red and one green) to serve him. Had they refused, he had the power to bind them with a spell. The landscape suggests a high mountain with a stream and hovering clouds.
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painting
with mounting, rollers and knobs
Artwork Details
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Title:Portrait of En no Gyōja
Artist:Attributed to Jakusai 寂済 (Japanese, 1348–1424)
Period:Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Date:late 14th–15th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions:Image: 36 5/16 × 15 5/16 in. (92.2 × 38.9 cm) Overall with mounting: 72 3/8 × 21 5/8 in. (183.8 × 54.9 cm) Overall with knobs: 72 3/8 × 23 3/8 in. (183.8 × 59.4 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number:29.100.442
Signature: Jakusai (on the box)
Mrs. H. O. (Louisine W.) Havemeyer , New York (until d. 1929; bequeathed to MMA).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Seasonal Pleasures in Japanese Art, Part II," May 1–September 8, 1996.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Japan," 1998.
Tokyo. Tobu Museum of Art. "The World of Enno-Gyōja and Shugendō: Secret Treasures of Mountain Asceticism," September 11, 1999–October 17, 1999.
Osaka Municipal Museum of Art. "The World of Enno-Gyōja and Shugendō: Secret Treasures of Mountain Asceticism," November 2, 1999–December 5, 1999.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Tribute to a Dedicated Collector: Mary Griggs Burke," June 30–November 29, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Spring and Summer," December 17, 2005–June 4, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Flowing Streams: Scenes from Japanese Arts and Life," December 21, 2006–June 3, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Animals, Birds, Insects, and Marine Life in Japanese Art," June 26–November 30, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Storytelling in Japanese Art," November 19, 2011–May 6, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japan: A History of Style," March 8, 2021–April 24, 2022.
Tokyo Kokuritsu Bunkazai Kenkyūjo 東京国立文化財研究所, ed. Nyūyōku Metoroporitan Bijutsukan, kaiga, chōkoku ニューヨークメトロポリタン美術館,絵画・彫刻 (Painting and sculpture of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Kaigai shozai Nihon bijutsuhin chōsa hōkoku 海外所在日本美術品調查報告 (Catalogue of Japanese art in foreign collections) 1. Tokyo: Kobunkazai Kagaku Kenkyūkai, 1991, p. 20, cat. no. 62.
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