Wake no Kiyomaro

This painting represents a milestone in Ishii Rinkyo’s career, and was shown in retrospectives, but it went missing for a long period, and it was unclear whether it was still extant. A large work painted on silk, it measures 112.4 cm in height and 217.2 cm in width. Given that the silk is woven vertically, it is believed that a special loom over two meters wide was used. It is presumed that at the age of 23, Rinkyo already had influential patrons. The painting depicts the imperial advisor Kiyomaro arriving at Usa Shrine early in the morning to receive a divine message about whether the imperial aspirant Dokyo was suitable to become the next emperor. Kiyomaro’s relatively small figure in the large composition seems to convey his determination to fulfill his duty under enormous pressure. (N.R.)