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Japan: The Thunder God Raijin. Detail from a screen by Ogata Korin (1658-1716), colour on gold leafed paper, c. 1700

Japan: The Thunder God Raijin. Detail from a screen by Ogata Korin (1658-1716), colour on gold leafed paper, c. 1700

Raijin is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology. He is typically depicted as a demonic spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with a tomoe symbol drawn on the drums.

In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with the wind god Fujin.

Ogata Kōrin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, to a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Kōetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.

'Wind God and Thunder God' by Ogata Korin is a replica of Tawaraya Sotatsu's four panel folding screen of the same title ('Fujin Raijin Zu), Kyoto, early 17th century.

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