1985.409: Life of Prince Shōtoku (Shōtoku Taishi eden) Fragment
PaintingsGallery Text
According to his mythical biography, a series of
bad omens followed Prince Shōtoku’s death around
the year 622. These culminated in an attack on
his son by the warrior Soga no Iruka, bringing the
family line to its end. In this hanging scroll—an
unusually intimate illustration of Prince Shōtoku’s
sacred biography that was originally part of a
larger handscroll—Shōtoku’s son ascends into
the sky from the five-story pagoda his father had
constructed. Shortly thereafter, Soga no Iruka was
himself assassinated.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1985.409
- Title
- Life of Prince Shōtoku (Shōtoku Taishi eden) Fragment
- Other Titles
- Transliterated Title: Shōtoku Taishi eden
- Classification
- Paintings
- Work Type
- painting, handscroll
- Date
- 12th-14th century
- Places
- Creation Place: East Asia, Japan
- Period
- Kamakura period, 1185-1333
- Culture
- Japanese
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/211942
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Handscroll fragment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions
-
painting proper: H. 15.2 x W. 45.2 cm (6 x 17 13/16 in.)
with mounting, roller ends and suspension cord: H. 99.5 x W. 60.1 cm (39 3/16 x 23 11/16 in.)
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of the Hofer Collection of the Arts of Asia
- Accession Year
- 1985
- Object Number
- 1985.409
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Exhibition History
Verification Level
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu