Totou Tenjin　渡唐天神

KEY WORD :　art history / iconography

Tenjin crossing to China. The Heian period courtier, poet, and scholar Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真 (845-903) was deified as the Shinto god *Tenjin 天神 soon after his death in exile at Dazaifu 太宰府, northern Kyuushuu 九州, see *Kitano tenjin engi 北野天神縁起. Worshipped by courtiers as a god of poetry, calligraphy, and scholarship, the cult of Tenjin eventually spread to Buddhism where he was thought to be a reincarnation of the Bodhisattva *Kannon 観音. By the late 14c, a story concerning Tenjin circulated widely in the Japanese Zen 禅 community. According to the legend, Tenjin appeared in a dream of Enni Ben'en 円爾弁円 (1202-80), the founder of Toufukuji 東福寺, soon after his return from China. Tenjin asked the monk to recommend a Chinese Zen teacher, and Enni suggested his own master Wuzhun Shifan (Jp: Bujun Shiban 無準師範, also read Mujun Shihan, 1177-1249). Later, Tenjin appeared again to report that he had indeed received Wuzhun's teaching and, as certification, a monk's robe. The interest in Tenjin by the Zen community is probably related to the monks' fascination with Chinese literature, particularly the poet *So Touba 蘇東坡 (1036-1101), and Tenjin's reputation as the foremost Japanese master of Chinese verse. During the early Muromachi period, painting of Tenjin dressed in Chinese scholar's robes, were produced in great numbers. Typically, the paintings show Teinjin standing frontally against a neutral background, and often include a poetic inscription. The theme was a favorite of the early 17c courtier Konoe Nobutada 近衛信尹 (1565-1614) who painted distinctive images of Totou Tenjin with a minimum of thick ink strokes.

REFERENCES:

EXTERNAL LINKS:

NOTES:

(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。