Shinto Goddess

Japan

12th–13th century

Wood with color

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Although Shinto deities often appear in the form of Japanese aristocrats, the appearance of this paired god and goddess reflects a unique blend of foreign and native dress that demonstrates the strong influence of Buddhism on Shinto imagery. The male deity with his meditative pose, urna (the dot on his forehead), elongated ears, and crown appears more like a bodhisattva, a type of Buddhist deity. The female deity wears a robe with pleated sleeves and frilled collar, which reflects Chinese dress of the Song dynasty (960–1279). Carved from single blocks of wood, with the artist’s chisel marks visible, the god and goddess sit before wo