Fujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto Deity

Fujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto Deity

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The court minister Fujiwara no Kamatari (614–669), was the first of his illustrious clan to dominate Japanese court life (which the family continued to do through the twelfth century). After his death, he came to be venerated as a Shinto deity at Danzan Shrine in Tonomine, near Nara. Seen here in official garb, he is attended by his sons—one a high-ranking Buddhist monk and the other Kamatari’s successor at court. Their kami nature is indicated by three hanging golden mirrors—symbolic objects in Shinto.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto DeityFujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto DeityFujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto DeityFujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto DeityFujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto Deity

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.