後醍醐天皇像

Emperor Go-Daigo died in 1339 in the mountains of Yoshino, far from the capital he had tried and failed to rule directly, leaving Japan split between two rival imperial courts. This silk portrait was made that same year, for a memorial service soon after his death, by the monk Monkan, who had been close to him. It shows him in a way unusual for a Japanese sovereign. He wears the robes and crown of an emperor, yet also holds the ritual implements of esoteric Buddhism, a sword and a vajra, presenting him at once as earthly ruler and enlightened being. It hangs at Shojoko-ji, the head temple of the Ji school, where it has been kept as a treasure ever since.