Wind God and Thunder God

The Wind God is painted on the right screen and the Thunder God on the left. In both, the garments flutter in the wind, conveying a strong wind blowing from left to right. The green Wind God has the momentum of having rushed into the picture from the right, and the white Thunder God plants his feet as if to catch that movement. Clouds painted with bleeding ink create depth and make the colors of the two gods stand out clearly.

This work is a faithful copy by Korin of the Wind God and Thunder God screens painted by Tawaraya Sotatsu (at Kenninji in Kyoto, a National Treasure). There are also several differences: the gaze of the Thunder God, which in Sotatsu's work looks down at the world below, has been changed in Korin's work to look straight at the Wind God. Korin's character shows in how he treated the two gods as a pair and valued harmony in the picture.

On the back of these screens, Sakai Hoitsu later painted Summer and Autumn Grasses. Behind the Thunder God were summer grasses beaten by rain, and behind the Wind God were autumn grasses bending in the wind. To protect the works, front and back were separated, and they are now held in the Tokyo National Museum as separate screens.