A Shinto ceremony
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1905.259
Tags
About this artwork
To 1905
Art Historical Context
**A Shinto Ceremony** Attributed to the renowned Japanese artist Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743), *A Shinto Ceremony* is a captivating painting from Japan's Edo period (1615–1868), a time of relative peace and cultural refinement under the Tokugawa shogunate. Kenzan, celebrated for his contributions to Japanese art, often blended poetry, ceramics, and painting in works that evoke harmony with nature and tradition. This piece depicts a sacred Shinto ritual, highlighting the indigenous religion's enduring role in Japanese life, where ceremonies honor *kami*—divine spirits inhabiting natural elements. ...