Zaō Gongen, Manifestation of Mount Kinpu, 12th century
Unknown Japaneseexpand_more
Wood with polychromeexpand_more
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundationexpand_more 2015.79.267
Not on Viewexpand_more
This unhappy-looking fellow with large pointed ears and sporting a conical cap is Zaō Gongen. He is a guardian deity of the Shugendō ascetic practice, who is said to live in the Yoshino Mountains in the rugged interior of the Kii Peninsula south of the ancient capital of Nara. A rare example of a religious figure of purely Japanese origin, Zaō Gongen is believed to have originally appeared to En no Gyōja (634'–701'), the founder of Shugendō, atop Yoshino’s Mount Kinpu. Mount Kinpu itself was believed to have been formed from the merging of three Buddhist deities (the historical Buddha Shaka, the Buddha of the Future Miroku, and the bodhisattva Kannon). The figure of Zaō Gongen itself is believed to be a manifestation of the spirit of Mount Kinpu.
Details
- Title
- Zaō Gongen, Manifestation of Mount Kinpu
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2015.79.267
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murase, Art through a Lifetime, no. 566
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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