Sugawara no Michizane Being Exiled to Dazaifu
Sugawara no Michizane (845–903) was a prominent courtier, scholar, and poet of the early Heian court who can be counted among the greatest cultural heroes of ancient Japan. His reputation was only enhanced when, after his death, it was discovered that he had been falsely accused of wrongdoing by rivals in the palace and denied promotion in the court hierarchy despite unrivaled qualifications. This screen shows Michizane after he had been demoted to a low-ranking office—a de facto exile from the court—and reassigned from Kyoto to faraway Dazaifu, on the island of Kyūshū. Tragically, after two years there, he died, having pleaded his innocence to the end.
Artwork Details
- 菅原道真左遷図屏風
- Title: Sugawara no Michizane Being Exiled to Dazaifu
- Artist: Unidentified Artist
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: early 17th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Six-panel folding screen; ink, color, and gold leaf on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 67 5/16 in. × 12 ft. 1 11/16 in. (171 × 370 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.432.15
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Unidentified
Unidentified
19th century
Unidentified
16th–17th century
Unidentified
ca. 1820–35
Unidentified
ca. 1895
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