Raijin (God of Thunder) from 1937 — the great Shinto storm deity, traditionally depicted as a fearsome figure surrounded by a ring of drums — is one of Munakata's most energetically appropriate subjects. The thunder god's character — his percussion, his sudden appearance, his overwhelming force — aligned perfectly with Munakata's own carving energy: his prints were described by contemporaries as having the impact of a sudden thunderclap, their visual force immediate and overwhelming. Rendering the thunder god through his carving knife, Munakata was perhaps finding the deity most congenial to his own creative nature.
1960
Woodblock print
Shôwa period, 1926-1989
Woodblock print
1939-68
Woodblock print
1939 (printed 1955)
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Raijin (God of Thunder) was created by Shiko Munakata (棟方志功) in 1937.
Raijin (God of Thunder) depicts figures, religious, and mythology.
