Sudden Shower at the Mimeguri Shrine, c. 1787
Torii Kiyonagaexpand_more
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paperexpand_more
Bequest of Richard P. Galeexpand_more 74.1.130a-c
Not on Viewexpand_more
People rush to seek shelter from a sudden shower beneath a gateway at the Inari Shrine in Mimeguri, an area in Edo (present-day Tokyo). One of Torii Kiyonaga’s most famous compositions, this triptych reveals his wit through the inclusion of a vaporous apparition in the clouds above: a group of horned gods dressed as fashionable townsmen lounging and smoking. Traditionally, the Japanese have represented the Thunder God as a muscular demon in a leopard-skin loincloth, who creates thunder by pounding cosmic drums. Here, however, Kiyonaga parodies popular poetry gatherings among Edo sophisticates by showing two demons contemplating a verse written on a long poem slip (tanzaku). The scene is undoubtedly a reference to a poem written by Takarai Kikaku (1661–1707) and dedicated to Mimeguri Inari Shrine to pray for rain.
Details
- Title
- Sudden Shower at the Mimeguri Shrine
- Artist Life
- 1752 - 1815
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 74.1.130a-c
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Torii Kiyonaga sakuhin sōmokuroku, Chiba, 2007, no. 36; Hirano, no. 849 Masterpieces from the Japanese painting collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art ミネアポリス美術館 日本絵画の名品 Cat.46
- Curator Approved
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