Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dragon and Tiger in Tempest [left of a pair]

Saeki Ganku

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Six-panel folding screen, one of a pair, ink and light color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Pictures of dragons and tigers were extremely popular in East Asia beginning in China during the Shang (c.1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou (c.1046–256 BCE) dynasties. In the 14th century they reached Japan via Korea, and soon pairs of sixfold screens, with each screen portraying one creature, became the favorite format of depiction. This pair of screens is a strong example of that vogue. The dragon represented spring, and the tiger stood for autumn. They were also the emblems of male and female cosmic principles, respectively; both are signs of the zodiac. The dragon-tiger pair came to symbolize the power of faith, and, in a wider sense, embodied the greatest animal strength in heaven (dragons) and on earth (tigers).

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