Artwork
金剛夜叉図大津絵|Ōtsu-e of Shōmen Kongōyasha (Vajrayaksha)
金剛夜叉図大津絵|Ōtsu-e of Shōmen Kongōyasha (Vajrayaksha) is an ink painting. It dates from 1649 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This hanging scroll depicts Shōmen Kongōyasha, a fierce deity from the Ōtsu-e tradition.
- Accession no.
- 1975.268.142
- Credit line
- The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
About this work
Technique & Style
This hybrid medium reflects the workshop production style characteristic of Ōtsu-e, where printed outlines were often finished by hand.
The Ōtsu-e of Shōmen Kongōyasha, dated to 1649, is executed as a hanging scroll on paper. The work combines traditional painting methods with printmaking techniques, specifically described as a hand-colored woodblock print. Ink and color pigments were applied to the paper support to render the religious deity.
This hybrid medium reflects the workshop production style characteristic of Ōtsu-e, where printed outlines were often finished by hand. The piece is currently held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Created in 1649 in Japan, this hanging scroll depicts the deity Shōmen Kongōyasha (Vajrayaksha). The work is an Ōtsu-e, executed as a hand-colored woodblock print on paper using ink and color. While the specific individual who commissioned the piece or the original owner remains unknown, the artist is identified only as anonymous. The artwork eventually entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held.
The work titled 金剛夜叉図大津絵 (Ōtsu-e of Shōmen Kongōyasha, Vajrayaksha) is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It entered the museum's holdings with no publicly disclosed accession number, and its creation is dated to 1649, as recorded in the catalog entry. The painting, an ink and color hand‑colored woodblock print on paper, depicts the deity Vajrayaksha and was produced in Japan.
Exhibition records are not mentioned in the available documentation, indicating that the work has not been listed in major museum exhibitions based on the sources provided.
Context
The work titled Shōmen Kongōyasha (Vajrayaksha) is a 1649 hanging scroll executed in ink, color and hand‑colored woodblock print on paper. It belongs to the Ōtsu‑e genre of Edo‑period popular prints and depicts a Buddhist deity, reflecting devotional art made for pilgrimage sites.
The anonymous creator worked within a tradition that combined religious narrative with mass‑produced imagery, a context noted by scholars studying the spread of Buddhist iconography in early modern Japan. The painting is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, underscoring its significance as a representative example of the period’s religious art.
Overview
This hanging scroll depicts Shōmen Kongōyasha, a fierce deity from the Ōtsu-e tradition. Rendered with ink, color, and hand-colored woodblock print on paper, the artwork presents a blue-faced god with four arms, each grasping a weapon, poised atop a demon. These pieces were widely recognized as popular paintings, serving both decorative and apotropaic functions for their purchasers.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, Shōmen Kongōyasha, is a formidable protector deity. In this representation, the god is shown with a blue face and multiple arms, each brandishing a weapon, standing triumphantly on a demon. Such images were commonly acquired by travelers as good-luck charms, believed to offer safeguarding during their journeys and to ward off misfortune.
Artist & collection
