Japan art and Matsuoka Eikyū: Grand Shinto Shrine of Ise
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The Japanese artist Matsuoka Eikyū (1881-1938) was born in the prefecture of Hyogo. Several of his brothers excelled in various fields. However, Matsuoka was blessed with exceptional drawing skills from a young age. Accordingly, he would develop art – and teach many others – throughout his lifetime.
In the art piece above, Matsuoka depicts the Emperor at the Grand Shrine of Ise. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu (Amaterasu Ōmikami). Therefore, Matsuoka paints a sublime art piece of the emperor and the shrine.
The Ise Jingu (Grand Shrine of Ise) website says, “Amaterasu-Omikami was originally worshipped in the Imperial Palace by successive Emperors of Japan. However, during the reign of the 10th Emperor Sujin, the Holy Mirror (the symbol of Amaterasu-Omikami) was moved from the Imperial Palace. Then, during the reign of the 11th Emperor Suinin, the Emperor ordered his princess, Yamatohime-no-mikoto, to seek the most appropriate place to permanently enshrine and worship Amaterasu-Omikami. After searching in many regions, finally the princess received a revelation that Amaterasu-Omikami should be enshrined and worshipped eternally in Ise. It is approximately 2,000 years ago…”
The Fukusaki Municipal comments, “Born in 1881, Eikyu Matsuoka was the eighth son of the Matsuoka Family. Eikyu was Matsuoka’s second name, while his real name was Teruo. He was good at drawing from early childhood. After graduating from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts with a first-class honors degree, he became a professor of his alma mater. He dedicated his life to the study and development of Japanese traditional painting and established the Shinko Yamato Association. He held great influence in the Japanese art world.”
The second art piece by Matsuoka is a stunning landscape. Hence, this famous son of Hyogo produced stunning art throughout his lifetime. Also, his art piece of the Grand Shrine of Ise fuses culture, history, tradition, and the Shinto faith that is time-honored – irrespective of the distant past to today!
https://www.isejingu.or.jp/en/ – Ise Jingu (The Grand Shrine of Ise)
https://www.town.fukusaki.hyogo.jp/html/kinenkan/en/matsuokaeikyu.html
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