Copies of the Illustrated Scrolls of Kasuga Shrine II: The Depiction of Gods

The Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara has received the faith of numerous individuals since its establishment. The blessings bestowed and the miracles performed by the gods worshipped there are depicted in the Illustrated Scrolls of Kasuga Shrine (The Museum of the Imperial Collections). This work consists of 20 individual scrolls that were executed by Takashina no Takakane, an official painter to the imperial court, in the second half of the Kamakura period (1192–1333). Even among the many illustrated scrolls that have been created throughout the ages, these may be counted as some of the greatest. 

In the second half of the Edo period (1603–1868), these scrolls were copied by the order of Tokugawa Harutomi (1771–1852), the 10th-generation head of the Kishu domain (now Wakayama prefecture). Famous artists who revived the classical yamato-e style of Japanese painting – Iwase Hirotaka (1808–77), Ukita Ikkei (1795–1859), and Reizei Tamechika (1823–64) – exploited their abilities to the fullest while creating these copies. 

This series of thematic exhibitions introduces the artistic appeal of these copies while exploring the nature of worship and belief at Kasuga Taisha Shrine from various angles. This is the second part of the series and focuses on the depiction of gods. Although gods cannot be see, in the Illustrated Scrolls of Kasuga Shrine they are portrayed in various forms: as men in ceremonial court dress, aristocratic women, children, and Buddhist deities. We invite visitors to appreciate the beauty of these copies while noting the freely-changing forms of the gods they depict.