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Portrait of Sugawara Michizane
by Yōgetsu
Also known as: Portrait of Sugawara Michizane (845-903, also known as Kitano Tenjin)
About the Artwork
Sugawara Michizane (845–903) was a Kyoto aristocrat who died in exile in Dazaifu in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, having been slandered at court. His vengeful spirit was later pacified by the construction of shrines in his name. His image was incorporated into the repertoire of Zen Buddhist figure painting, which included bodhisattvas, Daoist immortals, and other enlightened beings. Eminent monk Sakugen Shūryō (1501–1579) inscribed this work, which was painted by monk-painter Yōgetsu of Kyushu, who traveled east to study either in Kyoto or Kamakura. The Chinese-style poem is an ode to Michizane in his guise as the deity Tenjin.
Inscriptions
four-line inscription signed "Sakugen Shūryō" (1501-1579) accompanied by two seals unread
Exhibition history
Reeds and Geese: Japanese Art from the Collection of George Gund III. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 21-September 3, 2017).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Yōgetsu (Japanese, active late 1400s to early 1500s)
- Date
- late 1400s–early 1500s
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions
- Painting: 100.8 x 50.2 cm (39 11/16 x 19 3/4 in.); Mounted: 189.2 x 65.2 cm (74 1/2 x 25 11/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Japanese Art
- Credit line
- Gift from the Collection of George Gund III
- Accession no.
- 2015.491
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010150
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