Group of Heavenly Beings

Object Details

• Label

  The eighteen figures represented in these two paintings (see F1904.313) are all grouped under the Japanese name tenbu, or heavenly beings. The varied figures generally personify forces active in the cosmos; all trace their origins to indigenous beliefs of India and Central Asia. The inscriptions that identify each being are not completely reliable, however, the guardians of the four directions, shown as fierce warriors in the left-hand painting, and the deities of the sun and moon, seen here with corresponding symbols at the top of each painting, are recognizable.

  Other inscriptions indicate that the paintings originally belonged to Sanseizenji, a subtemple of Tofukuji, an important medieval Zen Buddhist center in Kyoto. Artists in the Tofukuji atelier were known for their high-quality iconography and skillful assimilation of influential Chinese Buddhist painting styles.

• Provenance

  To 1904

  Mr. Shibata, to 1904 [1]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Mr. Shibata, through Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), in 1904 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Bought from the heir of the owner through the Yokohama Specie Bank, with Bunkio Matsuki acting as agent (according to Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record).

  See further, See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, S.I. 18, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  In the Shadow of an Apocalypse (October 14, 2017 to October 28, 2018)

  Religious Art of Japan (December 18, 2002 to January 4, 2015)

  Telling Tales in Japanese Art (November 23, 1996 to August 14, 1997)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mr. Shibata (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

  This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1500s, 1300s

• Name

  Shibata, Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Japanese Art, Nanbokucho period (1333 - 1392), Kakemono

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings