by: Grace Schmidt
Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. The word Shinto roughly translates to “the way of the gods,” and those who practice Shintoism worship multiple nature deities, called kami. From Shintoism, many different cults emerged, and the religion often influenced Japanese government. Its art often blended with Buddhist traditions, taking the form of sculptures, paintings, and scrolls in order to adapt to artistic trends.
Title: Female Shinto Deity
Artist: Unknown
Period: Heian Period
Date: mid-11th to mid 12th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Japanese bigleaf magnolia with traces of color
Dimensions: H 38 ½ in, W 9 ¾ in, D 5 in
Classification: Sculpture
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Description: This sculpture depicts a female Shinto deity, called a kami. Carved from the wood of a nearly two-hundred-year-old magnolia tree, she is depicted as a member of the Chinese court. Her robes resemble robes traditionally worn by Buddhist deities, which was a popular depiction of kami after Buddhism’s introduction to Japan in the sixth century.
Title: Inrō with Ema of Eight Fan Shapes and Framed Pictures
Artist: Unknown
Period: Edo Period
Date: Second half of 18th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Four cases; lacquered wood with gold and silver togidashi maki-e, hiramaki-e, black lacquer, cut-out gold foil application on black ground Netsuke: puppy; ivory Ojime: metal with plum blossoms in gold inlay
Dimensions: 2 ⅝ x 2 ⅜ x 13/16 in
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Description: This inrō depicts the votive plaque of a Shinto shrine. Pictured is the front of the inrō, depicting a fan and three pictures. The back of the inrō, which is not pictured here, depicts four more pictures, one of which is not depicted in a frame, but rather in the shape of a heart. These pictures showcase scenes of nature, depicting animals, plants, and humans tending to nature. Inrōs were typically worn by the militant samurai class, who were influenced by both Buddhism and Shintoism in their practices, especially values of filial piety emphasized as Shintoism blended with Confucianism.
Title: Sacred Names of Shinto Deities and the “Oracles of the Three Shrines”
Artist: Mokujiki Shōnin
Period: Edo Period
Date: 1805
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink on paper
Dimensions: 31 1/2 × 8 1/8 in. (image); 62 × 12 1/4 in. (overall with mounting); Overall with knobs: 62 × 14 in. (overall with knobs)
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Description: This scroll lists the names of Shinto deities and oracles. It was created by the artist and priest Mokujiki Shōnin, who viewed Shinto kami as local Japanese interpretations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Mokujiki Shōnin’s art is often characterized as mingei or “folk art,” and this scroll became an object of devotion for visitors to many Shinto shrines.
Title: Young Women Visiting a Shinto Shrine
Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Period: Edo
Date: 1814
Culture: Japan
Medium: Woodblock print
Dimensions: 8 ⅜ x 5 7/16 in
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Description: This woodblock print depicts two women entering a Shinto shrine, as a smaller man guides them inside. One woman appears to be interested in entering the shrine, glancing upwards, while the other woman glances downward at her kimono. The shrine is decorated with a screen window, and an animal lies down inside. Outside the shrine, a lantern with Japanese writing hangs next to leaves hanging into the print. At the side of the print, Japanese writing forms an inscription, perhaps the title of the piece. Hokusai’s prints depicted a variety of subjects, often depicting people and people in nature, however, this print is the only print explicitly depicting Shintoism.
Title: Shinto priest performing the seaweed-gathering ritual
Artist: Totoya Hokkei
Period: Edo Period
Date: 1830-1834
Culture: Japan
Medium: Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
Dimensions: 8 ¼ in ✕ 7 3/16 in
Location: Chicago Art Institute, Chicago
Description: This image is a woodblock print of a Shinto priest performing a seaweed-gathering ritual. This was one print by Totoya Hokkei that depicted this ritual, with the ritual being completed by varying subjects. In this print, the priest appears to fight against waves in order to complete this ritual and bring seaweed back to land. The tradition of Shinto art continued even to the woodblock prints of the Edo period.
My exhibition would take place in a replica of the interior of a Shinto shrine. On the walls, I would hang the Shinto scroll and woodblock prints, and I would display the kami statue and inrō in a glass case. Outside the exhibition room, I would include a brief overview of Shintoism, as my exhibition would serve as an introduction to Shintoism for the viewer.
Since my midterm presentation, I have diversified my array of art forms included in the exhibit to include a more practical object, an inrō to showcase Shintoism’s inclusion in the everyday life of the samurai warriors. I also included a woodblock print that showcased the exterior of a Shinto shrine, since I would like for my exhibit to be displayed in a replica of a Shinto shrine. Although I attempted to find information about the “seaweed gathering ritual” depicted in Hokkei’s painting, I could not find any information suggesting that the ritual ever existed.
Bibliography:
Jurji, Edward. “Shintoism.” The Great Religions of the Modern World, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1967, pp. 141–177.
Kageyama, Haruki. The Art of Shinto. Shibundo, 1973.
Female Shinto Deity. 2023. Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/76086. Accessed Oct. 2024.
Inro with Ema. 1929. Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection,
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/58650. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
Sacred Names of Shinto Deities and the “Oracles of the Three Shrines.” 2016. Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/711871. Accessed Oct. 2024.
Young Women Visiting the Shinto Shrine. 1814. Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/54768. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
Shinto priest performing the seaweed-gathering ritual. Chicago Art Institute Collection, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/36447. Accessed Oct. 2024. Another of the sanctums in the Itsukushima shrine. 31 Mar. 2023. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Another_of_the_sanctums_in_the_Itsukushima_shrine. Accessed Oct. 2024.
