Tamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura Kuranosuke

Tamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura Kuranosuke

Yashima Gakutei

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Nine-Tailed Fox, disguised as a beautiful woman, was said to bewitch emperors in China and came to Japan disguised as Tamamo no Mae, a favorite concubine of the Toba emperor (1103–1156). Detected by the court astrologer Abe no Seimei, she flew away to Nasu Field, in northeast Japan, and was shot by the archer Miura Kuranosuke, whereupon she turned into a stone.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura KuranosukeTamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura KuranosukeTamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura KuranosukeTamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura KuranosukeTamamo no Mae and the Archer Miura Kuranosuke

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.