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Japan

Dragon King

11th/early 12th century
Magnolia wood with traces of pigment

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● On view now — Gallery 103

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This wooden sculpture is believed to belong to a group of more than twenty Shinto deities (kami) thought to have come from the Izumo district on the north coast of the island of Honshu. Thanks to recent research, it has been determined it is made from magnolia wood, a rare material for Shinto sculptures. The Dragon King, originally an Indian Hindu god, was gradually incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon. Veneration of this deity, who rules the seas, spread with Buddhism from India to China, and via Korea to Japan; there the Dragon King was further transformed into a Shinto god.

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