Water-Drawing Festival (omizutori) at the Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji, Nara
- Date:
- 2000
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Dimensions:
- 39.7 × 54.8 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
The Omizutori (Water-Drawing Festival) at Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji Temple in Nara is one of Japan's most ancient and dramatic religious rituals — held each March since 752 CE, featuring large torches carried along the hall's upper balcony, their sparks cascading into the night below like fire rain. Kitaoka, born in Nara Prefecture, brings a personal connection to this subject in this 2000 print. The festival's combination of fire, darkness, and sacred space suited his mature formal vocabulary: the torches becoming explosions of light within the night composition.
More Prints by Fumio Kitaoka
More Temples & Shrines Prints
Fushimi Inari Temple
伏見稲荷
Woodblock print
The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Temple with lanterns
Woodblock print
A Section of the Byodo Temple at Uji (Uji Byodoin no ichibu), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Uji Byodoin no ichibu
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Water-Drawing Festival (omizutori) at the Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji, Nara was created by Fumio Kitaoka (北岡文雄) in 2000.
Water-Drawing Festival (omizutori) at the Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji, Nara depicts temples & shrines, architecture, and summer, set at Nara.
Water-Drawing Festival (omizutori) at the Nigatsudo Hall of Todaiji, Nara measures 39.7 × 54.8 cm.