Luring the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Out of a Cave with Music; Death of the Historical Buddha
late 19th century
Medium
Pair of hanging scrolls; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions
Image (a): 27 15/16 × 10 5/8 in. (71 × 27 cm) Overall with mounting (a): 61 × 13 3/16 in. (155 × 33.5 cm) Overall with knobs (a): 61 × 15 1/8 in. (155 × 38.4 cm) Image (b): 27 7/8 × 10 11/16 in. (70.8 × 27.2 cm) Overall with mounting (b): 60 7/8 × 13 1/8 in. (154.7 × 33.4 cm) Overall with knobs (b): 60 7/8 × 15 1/8 in. (154.7 × 38.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Meiji period (1868–1912)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Accession Number
2015.300.210a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking pair of hanging scrolls by Kōno Bairei presents two pivotal moments from Japanese religious tradition. One scroll depicts the Shinto myth of luring the sun goddess Amaterasu from her cave, restoring light to the world through music and dance. The companion scroll portrays the death of the historical Buddha, or parinirvana, surrounded by grieving disciples. Created during Japan’s Meiji period, these works reflect a time when artists navigated rapid modernization while preserving cultural heritage. Bairei, a leading Kyoto-based painter, worked in the nihonga style, blending tradit...