Changes

*''Japanese/Okinawan'': 御後絵 ''(ogoe / ugui)''

*''Japanese/Okinawan'': 御後絵 ''(ogoe / ugui)''

''Ogo-e'' (lit. "honorable after-portrait") were posthumous portraits painted of each king of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] following the king's death.

''Ogo-e'' (lit. "honorable after-portrait") are posthumous portraits painted of each king of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] following the king's death.

Ten such portraits have been confirmed to have existed, from [[Sho En|Shô En]] through [[Sho Iku|Shô Iku]]. All were destroyed in the 1945 battle of Okinawa, but pre-war writings indicate they were richly colored, painted in mineral pigments on paper. Today, these portraits survive only in black-and-white photos by [[Kamakura Yoshitaro|Kamakura Yoshitarô]]. Efforts are being made to reconstruct the techniques or reproduce the portraits.

Documentary sources indicate that ''ogo-e'' portraits were produced of each king and crown prince of the [[Second Sho Dynasty|Second Shô Dynasty]], though it is unclear whether the custom was practiced prior to that. The sources refer to these portraits by a number of names, including ''ogoei'' (御後影, posthumous figure), ''son-i-zô'' (尊遺像, honored posthumous portrait), and ''juei'' (寿影, auspicious figure).<ref>These are very rough translations. 「御後絵とは。。。」, gallery label, 返還文化財一般展示会 exhibit, Okinawa Prefectural Museum, 8-10 May 2024.</ref> Sources suggest they were originally produced and displayed as wall paintings at [[Engaku-ji (Okinawa)|Engaku-ji]], the royal family's ''[[bodaiji]]'' (family temple), but that in the early 18th century they were remade into hanging scrolls.<ref name=ogoetoha>「御後絵とは。。。」, gallery label, 返還文化財一般展示会 exhibit, Okinawa Prefectural Museum, 8-10 May 2024.</ref> While originals were held at Engaku-ji, a number of spare or backup copies were held at [[Shuri castle]].<ref>Hirakawa Nobuyuki 平川信幸, "Ryûkyû kokuô no shôzôga ogoe no kôsatsu: egakareta ishô kara miru kokuô imeeji," ''de arte'' 31 (2015), 49.</ref> As they were lost to deterioration over time, fire, or other incidents, new ones were painted to replace them.<ref name=ogoetoha/>

 

Pre-war writings indicate that the ''ogo-e'' were richly colored, painted in mineral pigments on paper. All were long believed lost in the 1945 battle of Okinawa, with eleven surviving only in the form of black-and-white glass-plate photos by [[Kamakura Yoshitaro|Kamakura Yoshitarô]], and the rest lost entirely. However, in March 2024, the FBI and Okinawa prefectural government announced that four ''ogo-e'' portraits, along with sixteen other artifacts, had been found among the possessions of a Massachusetts family's late relative, and had been returned to Okinawa.<ref>[https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-boston-recovers-and-returns-22-historic-artifacts-to-okinawa-japan Art Crime Team: FBI Boston Recovers and Returns 22 Historic Artifacts to Okinawa, Japan], FBI website. 15 March 2024.</ref> These newly-recovered surviving ''ogo-e'' will prove an invaluable benefit to efforts already underway for many years to attempt to reconstruct the techniques and reproduce the missing portraits.

The portraits serve as a valuable resource for understanding royal ceremonial garb of the time. They appear to show that royal robes (''[[hibenfuku]]'') grew more elaborate and opulent over time.<ref>''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' 5, 318.</ref>

The portraits serve as a valuable resource for understanding royal ceremonial garb of the time. They appear to show that royal robes (''[[hibenfuku]]'') grew more elaborate and opulent over time.<ref>''Okinawa bijutsu zenshû'' 5, 318.</ref>

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