The Four Deities of Mount Kōya

The Four Deities of Mount Kōya

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The temple-shrine complex on Mount Kōya has served as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism since it was established in the ninth century by Kūkai (774–835), who is credited with transmitting the teachings from China. This painting shows the four primary deities of Niutsuhime Shrine, a sacred Shinto site at the base of the mountain. They sit on platforms before trifold screens within a shrine whose entrance is guarded by a pair of lions. The site’s original deities, Niu and her male counterpart, the hunter deity Kariba, are shown at top. Below them are two female deities, Kehi and Itsukushima. At the bottom of the picture are two dogs, one black and one white, who, along with their master, Kariba, are said to have originally guided Kūkai to this remote location.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Four Deities of Mount KōyaThe Four Deities of Mount KōyaThe Four Deities of Mount KōyaThe Four Deities of Mount KōyaThe Four Deities of Mount Kōya

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.