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Sacred Art & Iconography

"The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami" (Nishikawa Sukenobu, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.300.115)

Japanese Shinto Art

A hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, by Nishikawa Sukenobu (Japanese, 1671 to 1750), Edo period, 18th century, 1700 to 1750, showing the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, the primal creator pair of Shinto myth. The Metropolitan Museum's own title names both figures outright. Held today by the Metropolitan Museum of Art under accession 2015.300.115, Asian Art department, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015.

Facts
Subject Matter
Devotional Function
Izanagi and Izanami's own mythic courtship around the heavenly pillar, the model the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki give for how the pair became husband and wife before creating the land, made images of the couple a natural choice for marriage-related commissions and gifts; a hanging scroll of this subject, displayed in the alcove of a home, would have carried an auspicious blessing on marital union rather than functioning as an object of temple cult. 1
Physical Form
Medium
Hanging scroll by Nishikawa Sukenobu, Edo period, 18th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art 2015.300.115 1
Classification
Object Type
Painting 1
Medium (class)
Painting (general) 1
Connections

Associated With

Izanagi, Deities

This source names Izanagi directly: "century, 1700 to 1750, showing the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, the primal creator pair of Shinto myth."

Source "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Izanami, Deities

This source names Izanami directly: "the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, the primal creator pair of Shinto myth."

Source "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Belongs to Tradition

Shinto, Religions
Source "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Depicts

Izanagi, Figures

The Metropolitan Museum's own title, "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," names Izanagi outright, with a named artist attribution to Nishikawa Sukenobu.

Source "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Izanami, Figures

The Metropolitan Museum's own title, "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," names Izanami outright, alongside Izanagi, with a named artist attribution to Nishikawa Sukenobu.

Source "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Originated In

Japan, Regions
Source "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
In the Other Atlases

Authored By

Nishikawa Sukenobu

Also in Arts and Music Atlas: the author of this subject.

Sources
1. "The God Izanagi and Goddess Izanami," accession 2015.300.115 (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • accession 2015.300.115
    Artist: Nishikawa Sukenobu. Culture: Japan. Period: Edo period (1615-1868). Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015.
  • catalogue record, medium/object-type description
    A hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, by Nishikawa Sukenobu (Japanese, 1671 to 1750), Edo period, 18th century, 1700 to 1750, showing the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami, the primal creator pair of Shinto myth.
  • Originated In: Japan, Object record: Culture
    Culture: Japan
View the Source
Kuniumi (Wikipedia)
In Group: Japanese Creation Myth (Kuniumi), the Metropolitan Museum of Art accession record identifies the scroll's subjects as the god Izanagi and goddess IzanamiView the Source
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