The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 2, 2023

Seated Zenki and Koki

1400s

Part of a set. See all set records

Japan, Muromachi period

(1392–1573)

Wood with pigment

Sundry Art - Japanese/Korean and Lillian Kern Memorial Fund 2012.40

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

A popular Japanese comic named Zenki was inspired by the figure seen here wielding a weapon.

Description

The axe-wielding red Zenki, and the vase-porting, bamboo backpack-wearing green Koki are both under the mystical control of the monk, En no Ozunu (legendarily 634–701), also known as En no Gyōja, or “En the Ascetic,” and considered to have founded Shugendō, a style of religious practice focused on performing austerities in mountainous settings.

Provenance
The collection of Myoshin-ji Temple, Wakayama prefecture, Japan
The Hosomi family, Kyoto, Japan
?-2012
(Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
2012-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
“Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2011-2012.” Archives of Asian Art, vol. 63, no. 2, 2013, pp. 215–276. Reproduced: p. 223, fig. 11 www.jstor.org
Vilbar, Sinéad, and Kevin Gray Carr. Shinto: Discovery of the Divine in Japanese Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 182-183, no. 73
Exhibition history

Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).

Shinto: Discovering the Divine in Japanese Art 神道－日本美術における神性の発見. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 9-June 30, 2019).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.40