Shinzô (Female Shintô Deity)

Heian period (794‐1185), late 12th century | Wood with traces of polychrome | H. 16-3/8 x W. 8-1/4 x D. 4-1/2 inches | [ Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art](https://jsma.uoregon.edu) | 2021:17.1 Shinzō, in the Shintō religion of Japan, a representation either in painting or sculpture of a kami (god or sacred power). The Shintō religion did not have a tradition of iconic representation, but under the influence of Buddhism a few anthropomorphic images began to be created in the Heian period (794–1185). Notable examples are the late 9th-century wooden statues in the Matsunoo Jinja at Kyōto. Paintings of Shintō kami became more common in the Kamakura period (1192–1333) with the development of the syncretic Shintō-Buddhist school of Ryōbu Shintō. *Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2010, April 22). Shinzō. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/shinzo*