Kumasaka no Chōhan, the ghost of an outlaw priest, strikes a dramatic pose in the Nō play ‘Kumasaka’. He is dressed in elaborate robes, the trousers decorated with thunderbolts and the upper robe with the comma design associated with Raiden, the god of thunder.
Kumasaka was killed when he attacked the retinue accompanying the young Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who had studied martial arts with the tengu demons.
nishiki-e, tengu
Nishiki-e literally means 'brocade pictures' and refers to multi-coloured woodblock prints.
Tengu are powerful mountain goblins. Two types appear in Japanese art, one with a long nose, and the other with a beak and claws. One identifying feature of both is a feathered fan.
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
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