Priest Raigō of Mii Temple Transformed into a Rat

月岡芳年 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, artist

1839–1892

Priest Raigō of Mii Temple Transformed into a Rat, 1891, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Portfolio/Series title: Shinkei sanjūrokkaisen (36 Ghosts and Demons)

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: color woodcut

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 371 x 250 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 14 5/8 x 9 13/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: Weare-West Fund

Accession number: 1984.0036

Not on display

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Salina Art Center: Shattering the Void: Realms of Meaning in East Asian Art

The large hunched rat depicted gnawing on Buddhist texts is a reincarnation of the monk Raigō Ajari from Mii Temple. Raigō was the spiritual advisor to Emperor Shirakawa (1072–1086) of the Heian period (794–1185). He offered to pray for the birth of a son on behalf of the emperor. When these prayers were answered the emperor said he would fulfill any request Raigō made. When the emperor was unable to satisfy the monk’s request, Raigō starved himself to death. His next incarnation was as one thousand rats that haunted Mii Temple, devouring its sacred texts.

Sacred Space and Japanese Art at the Spencer Museum of Art

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s woodcut depicts the priest Raigō from a 12th-century Japanese story in the classic Tale of the Heike. Priest Raigō of the temple of Miidera was the spiritual advisor of Emperor Shirakawa, who reigned from 1072–1086. Emperor Shirakawa attributed the birth of his male heir to the prayers that Raigō had offered on his behalf and graciously offered Raigō anything he wanted as a reward. Raigō requested that a raised platform to ordain monks be built at his temple. However, only Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei was allowed to have an official ordination platform. The Emperor declined Raigō’s request because he did not want to encourage the rivalry between these temples. This infuriated Raigō to the point that he locked himself inside his chamber and refused to eat. Raigō eventually starved to death, and the Emperor’s son died shortly afterward. Raigō’s vengeful spirit took the form of a thousand rats, which infested Miidera.
Yoshitoshi depicts Priest Raigō as a large rat chewing on a sutra within Miidera. Raigō is surrounded by a pack of smaller rats devouring the sacred texts and overrunning the temple. Together they eat the sutras as revenge against Emperor Shirakawa for not fulfilling his promise to Raigō.
Text by Emily Cowan

Archive Label 2003:
In another Japanese folk tale about an animal form being taken on as a means of revenge, Raigo, a 10th-century Tendai sect monk becomes a rat after his death. Raigō was directed by the Emperor to pray for the birth of a prince. A prince was born, and Raigo requested that a special platform be built in the temple where he lived. His request was denied because rival monks opposed it. Shamed, Raigō starved himself to death. His furies turned him into a monstrous rat so that he could steal into the rival temple to destroy the precious Buddhist sutras kept there. Yoshitoshi’s print shows the Raigō-rat gnawing away at a sutra while companion rats make meals of other sutras. In the midst of a frenzied atmosphere, Raigō has his revenge; the hunger that caused his death now fuels an insatiable craving for the sutras of those who shamed him.

Exhibition Label:
"The Art of Stories Told," Jun-2004, Veronica de Jong
The large hunched rat depicted gnawing on Buddhist texts is a reincarnation of the monk Raigo Ajari from Mii Temple. Raigo Ajari was the spiritual advisor to Emperor Shirakawa (1072-1086) of the Heian period (794-1185). He offered to pray for the birth of a son on behalf of the emperor. When these prayers were answered the emperor said he would fulfill any request Raigo made. When the emperor was unable to satisfy the monk’s request, Raigo starved himself to death. His next incarnation was as one thousand rats that haunted Mii temple, devouring its sacred texts.

The result of the monk’s action are dramatically captured in this powerful illustration of a large, clothed rat surround by many others that scurry about or also consume texts. By depicting the edges of the print as seemingly frayed, Yoshitoshi enhanced the element of decay in this story, and in the top right cartouche is an explanatory text.

Archive Label date unknown:
Raigo, a Tendai sect monk of the tenth century, lived at Enjoji temple in the province of Omi. By order of the emperor, Raigo prayed successfully for the birth of a prince. For his reward, Raigo requested the erection of a Buddhist ordination platform at Enjoji, but this was denied because of opposition from the monks of the rival Enryakuji temple. Raigo could not bear this shame, and starved himself to death. His furies turned him into a monstrous rat so that he could steal into Enryakuji to tear up volumes of their precious sutras.