ryuuko-zu　竜虎図

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Ch: longhutu. Painting of a dragon *ryuu 龍 and tiger (tora 虎). In ancient Chinese cosmology the animals have distinct associations: the dragon represents the east, heaven, sunrise, spring, rain, and the male element; the tiger, conversely, represents the west, earth, sunset, autumn, wind, and the female. The two symbolic animals were often painted on opposite walls of tombs in China, Korea, and 5-7c Japan (see *shishin 四神). In later centuries the dragon and tiger frequently were paired in ink painting. Muqi's (Jp: Mokkei 牧谿 ; late 13c) famous pair of scrolls at Daitokuji 大徳寺, Kyoto, were copied by many Japanese artists. Dragons and tigers were also paired on screens *byoubu 屏風 and sliding doors (*fusuma 襖) at Zen 禅 temples beginning in the 15c (Muromachi period).

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