Wind God and Thunder God Screens (Nishijin textile)

The National Treasure “Wind God and Thunder God Screens” is said to be the masterpiece of Sotatsu Tawaraya, a painter active in the early Edo period. The gold-leafed sky depicts the Wind God sprinting through the wind, and the Thunder God confronting the Wind God with a thunderous roar.
The Wind God and Thunder God are deities of wind and thunder that came to Japan from China along with Buddhism.

It is exquisitely woven in Nishijin brocade with pure gold leaf and framed. The “tarashikomi technique,” which is believed to have been invented by Sotatsu, in which one color is applied and another color is applied before the first color dries, is used for the clouds on which the two deities ride. This technique is also expressed in the exquisite weaving.