Nichiren Praying for Rain at Ryōzengasaki in Kamakura in 1271
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Japanese, 1798 - 1861
1831, reproduced early 20th century
Woodcut on paper
A later reproduction
Overall: 10 1/4 × 15 5/16 in. (26 × 38.9 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Given in honor of Zachary Gimbel Lehman, Class of 1995, by his parents
PR.995.64.4
Portfolio / Series Title
From the Series Concise Illustration of the Life of Nichiren
Geography
Place Made: Japan, East Asia, Asia
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
This print is among the ten images Kuniyoshi (as part of the larger Utagawa school/clan, he is referred to by his first name to distinguish him from his peers) created to celebrate Nichiren, one of the most influential monks in 13th-century Japan. This scene captures Nichiren’s profound religious faith, which prompted him to commune with nature. Amidst the severe drought in Kamakura in 1271, Nichiren prayed for rain, and three consecutive days of downpour then ended the region’s famine. With the heavy rainfall depicted in straight lines and the roaring waves below the cliff, Kuniyoshi creates a dramatic mingling of the faithful monk’s spirituality and the (responsive) forces of nature around him.
Title
高祖御一代略図
[Kōso goichidai ryakuzu]
文永八鎌倉霊山ヶ崎雨祈
[Bun'ei hachi Kamakura Ryōzengasaki ame inoru]
Artist signature
一勇斎国芳画
[Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga]
Picture by Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi
From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Exhibition History
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 5-June 29, 2025.
Provenance
Arnold L. and Pamela G. Lehman, Baltimore, Maryland; given to present collection, 1995.
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