Portrait of Fujiwara no Kamatari as a Shinto Deity 藤原鎌足像

Asia, Japan

This is a portrait of the Japanese aristocrat Fujiwara no Kamatari (614–669) and his two sons (Jōe 定恵 [643-666?] as a monk on the right and Fuhito 不比等 [659-720] as a courtier on the left). It represents Kamatari in the setting of an enshrined Shinto deity, with the shrine's curtains pulled back and three sacred mirrors overhead. Wearing formal black robes and carrying a baton that symbolizes his rank and authority, he sits in front of a screen painted with pine and wisteria, which was his family emblem. Worship of Kamatari as a Shinto god began shortly after his death and continues today near Nara City where his sons enshrined his remains. In the painting the sons are depicted smaller in size because they are not gods. Kamatari was revered as a protector of legitimate imperial rule and as the ancestor of the powerful Fujiwara family. The condition is good considering its age, though with some loss of pigment (esp. the green pigment in the background).

Curtains in the background frame wisteria hanging from pine branches, which is an association with the Fujiwara family. The surname “Fujiwara” translates as “field of wisteria” and pines are a symbol of longevity. The three gold disks across the top band refer to Buddhist and Shinto deities that are often symbolized by mirrors, in this case the true forms of Kamatari and his two sons, who are believed to be represent the 3 kami of he Kasuga Grand Shrine (Kasuga taisha 春日大社) shrine.

Such triad paintings were used in Fujiwara memorials to Kamatari and are also displayed during the Yuima Assembly (Yuima-e 維摩会), an annual lecture series that was initiated by Fuhito in 706 in memory of his father.