Nichiren Praying for Rain at Ryōzengasaki in Kamakura in 1271
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Japanese, 1798 - 1861
1831, reproduced early 20th century
Woodcut on paper
A later reproduction
Overall: 10 1/4 × 15 5/16 in. (26 × 38.9 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Given in honor of Zachary Gimbel Lehman, Class of 1995, by his parents
PR.995.64.4
Portfolio / Series Title
From the Series Concise Illustration of the Life of Nichiren
Geography
Place Made: Japan, East Asia, Asia
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
This print is among the ten images Kuniyoshi (as part of the larger Utagawa school/clan, he is referred to by his first name to distinguish him from his peers) created to celebrate Nichiren, one of the most influential monks in 13th-century Japan. This scene captures Nichiren’s profound religious faith, which prompted him to commune with nature. Amidst the severe drought in Kamakura in 1271, Nichiren prayed for rain, and three consecutive days of downpour then ended the region’s famine. With the heavy rainfall depicted in straight lines and the roaring waves below the cliff, Kuniyoshi creates a dramatic mingling of the faithful monk’s spirituality and the (responsive) forces of nature around him.
Title
高祖御一代略図
[Kōso goichidai ryakuzu]
文永八鎌倉霊山ヶ崎雨祈
[Bun'ei hachi Kamakura Ryōzengasaki ame inoru]
Artist signature
一勇斎国芳画
[Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi ga]
Picture by Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi
From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Course History
Art History 63.02, Why Are Museums...?, Mary Coffey, Spring 2026
Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 51.11, Religion 2.02, Religions of Vietnam, Sara Swenson, Winter 2025
Geography 3.01, Living with Nature, Coleen Fox, Winter 2025
Philosophy 50.18, Animal Minds, Tina Rosenqvist, Winter 2025
Religion 40.08, Fear & Loathing in Religion, MK Long, Winter 2025
Art History 63.02, Why Are Museums…?, Mary Coffey, Spring 2025
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2025
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Marco D'Angelo, Spring 2025
Religion 1.13, Sacred Movement, Robert Weiner, Spring 2025
Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 70.24, Asian American Art and Architecture, Sujin Eom, Spring 2025
College Course 26.01, What’s in Your Toolbox?, Casey Aldrich and Mokhtar Bouba, Fall 2025
Comparative Literature 55.03, Asian Societies, Culture, and Language 60.10, Eco-Fiction: Stories of Ghosts and Other Beings from Premodern China, Yiren Zheng, Fall 2025
Special Tour: Attitude of Coexistence and Beyond the Bouquet, Winter 2025
Exhibition Tour: Attitudes of Coexistence and Beyond the Bouquet, Winter 2025
Exhibition History
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 26-June 29, 2025.
Provenance
Arnold L. and Pamela G. Lehman, Baltimore, Maryland; given to present collection, 1995.
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