Festival at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine by Matsukawa Ryūchin

Festival at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine c. 1840

print, ink, color-on-paper

water colours

ink paper printed

print

japan

personal sketchbook

ink

color-on-paper

botanical drawing

ink colored

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

sketchbook art

botanical art

watercolor

"Festival at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine" is a woodblock print by Matsukawa Ryūchin, created around 1840. The print depicts a single figure in a vibrant, multi-layered kimono, holding a branch adorned with greenery, in a simplified, decorative style. The subject is likely a Shinto priest, and the image may depict a procession or ritual at the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, an important religious site dedicated to Hachiman, the god of war. This print is an example of the ukiyo-e tradition, a genre of Japanese woodblock printing, that was popular during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The print is currently in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The tenth-century warrior Tairano Masakado staged a revolt against the central government when he was denied the high position of kebiishi (head of the imperial warriors). The emperor dispatched troops to defeat him, and instructed priests at shrines throughout the country to pray for his subjugation. Eventually his troops were overpowered and Masakado was beheaded. Concern lingered, however, that Masakado's fierce spirit would return to cause trouble. To pacify his restive spirit, special ceremonies came to be conducted annually at Shinto shrines. At Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine on Mount Otoko in early spring, splendidly dressed shrine officiates perform a special dance to chanting and music meant to console Masakado's spirit and ensure continued peace. Here a dancer holds a branch of the sacred sakaki tree used to ritualistically sweep away evil.