Izanagi and Izanami Standing on Amano-Ukihahi Bridge
by Ogata Gekko
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Honolulu Museum of Art
- Image courtesy of
- Honolulu Museum of Art
Description
This print illustrates the creation myth from the Kojiki, in which the divine couple Izanagi and Izanami stand on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, Ame-no-Ukihashi, and stir the primordial ocean with a jeweled spear to create the Japanese islands. The composition presents an extraordinary challenge: two deities suspended above a formless sea and sky, with the bridge extending into an undefined cosmic space. Gekko likely employs a wide oban format or triptych arrangement to accommodate the vertical drama of the scene. Gradated bokashi washes in blues and grays would render the sea below, while the figures — dressed in celestial costume — occupy the upper register. The subject was popular in Meiji-era prints as part of a renewed interest in Shinto mythology and national narrative.
More Prints by Ogata Gekko
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Izanagi and Izanami Standing on Amano-Ukihahi Bridge was created by Ogata Gekko (尾形月耕).
Izanagi and Izanami Standing on Amano-Ukihahi Bridge depicts landscapes.