Gods & Things Gallery Guide

ASIAN ART FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION

GODS+THINGS

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SCROLL+ZOOM SHRINES OF JAPAN

DISCOVER THE LOCATIONS OF JAPAN’S WELL-KNOWN SHRINES + TEMPLES BY EXPLORING THE MAP BELOW.

Map of shrines, temples, and scenic and historic places in Japan, 1882. Japan, large woodblock print. Courtesy of LSU Libraries Special Collections.

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MINATOGAWA SHRINE

A Shinto shrine devoted to the military hero Masashige Kusunoki (1294–1336) in Kobe, Japan. It was the site of the Battle of Minatogawa (1336). The bottle featured to the right is a souvenir from this shrine.

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KYOTO +

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Kyoto served as the seat of Japan’s imperial court from 794 to 1869, and it is home of many important Buddhist and Shinto sites. One was Kiyomizu temple. Founded in 778, most of the buildings in this famous Buddhist temple were constructed in 1633 by the order of the Tokugawa shogunate.

The well-known stage and pink cherry blossoms are depicted in the print.

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YOKKAICHI

The city of Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture is an important stopping point before pilgrims reach one of the holiest Shinto shrines in Japan – the Ise Grand Shrine. It is the home of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, from whom the Japanese imperial family claimed to have been descended. It also houses the Sacred Mirror, one of the three treasures that legitimize the imperial rule.

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MIYA

Miya in the city of Nagoya was the home of the Atsuta Shrine. It is an important Shinto site second only to the Ise Grand Shrine. It is home to the Five Great Gods of Atsuta. It houses the bronze sword, one of the three treasures that legitimize the imperial rule.

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KAKEGAWA

The city of Kankegawa in Shizuoka Prefecture is home to several Shinto shrines, but the most famous site during the Edo Period was probably the Night-Weeping Stone (yonaki-ishi). The nightly weeping came from a pregnant woman who was killed by bandits. To placate the ghost, someone has written on it the Buddhist phrase, “In praise of Amida Buddha (Sanskrit Amitaābha),” in the hope that the wandering soul will find peace in his Western Paradise.

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MT. FUJI +

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One of the most famous and visible landmarks along the Tōkaidō, Mt. Fuji is now recognized as the emblem of Japan. The sacred mountain is home to one of the primordial Shinto gods Kuninotokotachi, and has remained a major Shinto pilgrimage and tourist site. During the Edo period, commercial artists like Hokusai popularized the mountain domestically and abroad by making it a central subject in their polychrome woodblock prints. In Utagawa Hiroshige II’s 53 Stations of Tōkaidō, (framed to the right) the mountain is a backdrop to many of the stations, serving as constant reminder of divine protection to travelers.

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TOKYO +

FIND THESE ARTWORKS IN THE GALLERY

Edo is better known today as Tokyo. It became the capital of Japan in 1869, when the young Meiji Emperor moved there to signal the beginning of his new and modern rule. But the city was already the seat of military government under the Tokugawa shogunate, which allowed it to flourish as a prosperous and colorful metropolitan center. Much of that lively city was captured in polychrome ukiyo-e woodblock prints such as Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Find examples of these prints on the middle of this wall to the left of the text panel.

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NIKKŌ +

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The mountain site of Nikkō in Tochigi Prefecture is home to more than 103 structures of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Most are dated to the 17th-18th century, the heyday of the Tokugawa shoguns.

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KYOTO

Kyoto served as the seat of Japan’s imperial court from 794 to 1869, and it is home of many important Buddhist and Shinto sites. One was Kiyomizu temple. Founded in 778, most of the buildings in this famous Buddhist temple were constructed in 1633 by the order of the Tokugawa shogunate. The well-known stage and pink cherry blossoms are depicted in the print.

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MT. FUJI

During the Edo period, commercial artists like Hokusai popularized the mountain domestically and abroad by making Mt. Fuji a central subject in their polychrome woodblock prints.

TAP HERE TO RETURN TO MAP

NIKKĹŒ Ogawa, Kazumasa, Japanese 18601930, Souvenir album of 80 handcolored albumen prints showing scenes from Japan, albumen prints (digital reproduction), Courtesy of LSU Libraries Special Collections.

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The mountain site of NikkĹ? in Tochigi Prefecture is home to more than 103 structures of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Most are dated to the 17th-18th century, the heyday of the Tokugawa shoguns.

TAP HERE TO RETURN TO MAP

NIKKĹŒ Ogawa, Kazumasa, Japanese 18601930, Souvenir album of 80 handcolored albumen prints showing scenes from Japan, albumen prints (digital reproduction), Courtesy of LSU Libraries Special Collections.

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The mountain site of NikkĹ? in Tochigi Prefecture is home to more than 103 structures of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Most are dated to the 17th-18th century, the heyday of the Tokugawa shoguns.

TAP HERE TO RETURN TO MAP