Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines

Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This set of three handscrolls narrates a fantastical account of the Indian origins and ultimate enshrinement of three deities at Kumano, one of Japan’s most sacred locales. The story is told through a mix of text and image presented in a linear format, conveying progression through time and space. The first two scrolls depict the story of an unnamed consort—one among a thousand—of an Indian maharaja. She gives birth to the ruler’s only son but is immediately beheaded at the hands of the other 999 consorts, who are bitterly jealous. The maharaja, his consort, and the prince are eventually enshrined as the deities of Kumano, whose places of worship are introduced in the final scroll.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Illustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano ShrinesIllustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano ShrinesIllustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano ShrinesIllustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano ShrinesIllustrated Legends of the Origins of the Kumano Shrines

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.