Deer Mandala of the Kasuga Shrine

Unknown artist, first half 15th century

Download1532 × 3231 px View on a wall Edit

Medium: Hanging scroll, ink, color, and gold on paper
Size: 35 5/16 × 15 3/4 in. (89.69 × 40.01 cm) (image)
Culture: Japan, Muromachi period (1333–1573)
Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Rights: Public Domain Mark

Five Shinto deities appear in a golden orb supported by a branch of wisteria all atop a white stag wearing a sumptuous lacquered saddle. The deer has ridden in from the heavens, indicated by the pink cloud upon which he stands. The deities within the orb represent the five deities of Kasuga Shrine, located in the ancient capital of Nara. They are also the tutelary deities of the once powerful Fujiwara family, whose name means “field of wisteria.” To this day, deer, which are considered sacred, roam the mountains of Kasuga and the old capital Nara, as they have since ancient times.

Text: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), CC BY 4.0.