About this work
Wind God and Thunder God (紙本金地著色風神雷神図, Shihon Kinji Chakushoku Fūjin Raijin-zu) is a painting on a pair of two-folded byōbu (folding screens) by Rinpa artist Ogata Kōrin, a replica of a similar work by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, depicting Raijin, the god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology, and Fūjin, the god of wind. Ogata Kōrin (1658 to 1716) was a major Japanese painter, lacquerer and designer, and an important member of the Rinpa school, particularly famous for his byōbu screens, his paintings on ceramics and lacquerware produced by his brother Ogata Kenzan, and for consolidating the style of the founding Rinpa master, Kōetsu and Sōtatsu. One of his most important works (although not as famous as his Irises and Red and White Plum Blossoms screens), Wind God and Thunder God consists of a pair of two-folded byōbu folding screens painted with ink and color on gold-foiled paper, measuring 421.6 by 464.8 centimetres (166.0 in × 183.0 in) each.
About Ogata Kōrin
Ogata Kōrin was a Japanese landscape illustrator, lacquerer, painter, and textile designer of the Rinpa School. Kōrin is best known for his byōbu folding screens, such as Irises and Red and White Plum Blossoms (both registered National Treasures), and his paintings on ceramics and lacquerware produced by his brother Kenzan. Also a prolific designer, he worked with a variety of decorative and practical objects, such as round fans, writing boxes (suzuribako) executed in relief (makie) or inrō (medicine cases). He is also credited with reviving and consolidating the Rinpa school of Japanese painting, fifty years after its foundation by Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558, 1637) and Tawaraya Sōtatsu (c.
Where it hangs
Wind God and Thunder God is in the collection of Tokyo National Museum.
More by Ogata Kōrin
Writing Box with Eight Bridges
Ogata Kōrin · Edo period, 18th century
Tokyo National Museum