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. As they were lost to deterioration over time, fire, or other incidents, new ones were painted to replace them.<ref>「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>

 

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>