Minneapolis Institute of Art
Picture of Penance under the Waterfall at Mount Nachi
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi; Author: Nozaki Bunzō; Publisher: Kakumotoya KinjirōLinkedCulture matchlcp-7737d3af01f9
- Date
- 1859, 10th lunar month (C), 1860, 6th lunar month (L, R)
- Medium
- Woodblock print (nishiki-e), ink and color on paper
- Department
- Asian Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 127735
From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record
According to legend, after the young samurai Endō Morito (1139–1203) mistakenly killed the object of his love, Kesa-gozen, he became a monk and took the name Mongaku. As a penance for his crime, he decided to stand for 21 days under the icy waterfall at Mount Nachi which, with an uninterrupted drop of over 400 feet, is the tallest in Japan. There he continuously recited incantations to the deity Fudō Myō-ō. After seven days he lost consciousness but was rescued by the deity’s child attendants, who helped him so he could complete his harsh task. Yoshitoshi originally designed only the center sheet, which, very dramatically, shows only Mongaku’s face and praying hands amid the water. Half a year later, the two flanking sheets were added to create a more panoramic view of the scene. Asia
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- The Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation, gifts of various donors, by exchange, and gift of Edmond Freis in memory of his parents, Rose and Leon Freis
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