Harvard Art Museums > 1982.46: Portrait of Sugawara no Michizane (Kitano Tenjin) Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Portrait of Sugawara no Michizane (Kitano Tenjin) , 1982.46,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/201966. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1982.46 Title Portrait of Sugawara no Michizane (Kitano Tenjin) Other Titles Transliterated Title: Kitano Tenjin Classification Paintings Work Type painting, hanging scroll Date Muromachi period, 16th century Places Creation Place: East Asia, Japan Period Muromachi period, 1392-1568 Culture Japanese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/201966 Physical Descriptions Medium Hanging scroll; ink, color and gold on silk Dimensions painting proper: H. 74.4 x W. 54.8 cm (29 5/16 x 21 9/16 in.) mounting, with cord and roller ends: H. 176.5 x W. 76.2 cm (69 1/2 x 30 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane Fund for Asian Art Accession Year 1982 Object Number 1982.46 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Sugawara Michizane (845-903) was a brilliant Chinese literary scholar and statesman during Japan's Heian period (794-1185) who rose quickly to high courtly rank but was unjustly exiled after an alleged plot against the emperor. Banished to the southern island of Kyushu in 901, Michizane never sought to challenge the will of the ruler who doubted his loyalty, and he died two years later after much suffering. Soon thereafter, a series of natural disasters racked the city of Kyoto and were attributed to the vengeful spirit of the wronged man. In order to appease his ghost, Michizane was posthumously appointed to high political office and eventually deified as Kitano Tenjin--"Heavenly Deity of the Northern Fields"--protector of the capital and patron spirit of poetry and calligraphy. The main center of his cult is the Kitano Tenjin Shrine in Kyoto, with branch shrines throughout the nation. Idealized portraits of Michizane are displayed each year on August 4th, the anniversary of his death, and poetry readings and calligraphy contests are held at his shrines. In this scroll the deity is depicted as a distinguished older gentleman wearing Japanese court robes and flanked by paintings of pine and plum--plants with long-standing Chinese literary associations. Michizane is famous for his devotion to a particular plum tree in his Kyoto garden to which he addressed his most famous poetic lament on the occasion of his exile: If the east wind blows this way, Oh blossoms on the plum tree, Send your fragrance to me! Always be mindful of the spring, Even though your master is no longer there! This faithful plum tree is said to have uprooted itself and flown to Kyushu in order to be with Michizane. In honor of its loyalty, plum trees are planted on the grounds of every Tenjin shrine. Exhibition History Paragons of Wisdom and Virtue: East Asian Figure Painting, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 02/15/1997 - 09/21/1997 Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo: Botanical Motifs and Symbols in East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 07/06/2002 - 01/05/2003 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
