God of Thunder (Raijin)
1604
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1604
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting shows Raijin, the Japanese thunder god, leaping through storm clouds. His face is fierce and his drums crash hard. Gold dust covers the paper, making him glow like lightning in the dark. Sōtatsu’s workshop often used this gold-dust trick. They borrowed older drawings but made them fresh. The artist added his own energy to the old thunder god picture. Look up Tawaraya Sōtatsu (Japanese, c. 1570–c. 1640) to see more of this style.
