Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines
This set of three handscrolls narrates a fantastical account of the Indian origins and ultimate enshrinement of three deities at Kumano, one of Japan’s most sacred locales. The story is told through a mix of text and image presented in a linear format, conveying progression through time and space. The first two scrolls depict the story of an unnamed consort—one among a thousand—of an Indian maharaja. She gives birth to the ruler’s only son but is immediately beheaded at the hands of the other 999 consorts, who are bitterly jealous. The maharaja, his consort, and the prince are eventually enshrined as the deities of Kumano, whose places of worship are introduced in the final scroll.
Artwork Details
- 熊野縁起絵巻
- Title: Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines
- Period: Momoyama period (1573–1615)
- Date: late 16th–early 17th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Set of three handscrolls; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image (a): 9 1/2 in. × 33 ft. 5 5/8 in. (24.1 × 1020.2 cm)
Image (b): 9 1/2 in. × 20 ft. 2 5/16 in. (24.1 × 615.5 cm)
Image (c): 9 1/2 in. × 13 ft. 9 3/4 in. (24.1 × 421 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.300.18a–c
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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