Military Door Gods with Guandao Item Number: Edz985 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Rectangular paper with two armed military door gods (wu menshen; 武門神), generals with a guandao pole weapon (立刀將軍) printed in black outline, in red, green and yellow. Faces are orange, background is also orange. White paper left uncoloured in some areas. Figures are 23.5 cm high. The Chinese character福 (fu, fortune) appears on the two fluttering flags behind their shoulders.
History Of Use
Known as menshen (门神, door gods), they are considered to protect homes from evil spirits. Prints depicting them are usually displayed on the door inside and outside the house during the Chinese Spring Festival (春节) or Lunar New Year. Such prints are thus known as nianhua (年画, new year pictures). Military door gods would be displayed on the external doors of the home. The images are pasted on each of the vertical double doors typical of southern Chinese houses, facing each other. They are also used on doors of temples and ancestral halls.
Iconographic Meaning
Military Door Gods with Guandao (立刀將軍). Also known as Door Gods Guangong (關公門神, Guangong menshen), some people believe that this type of door gods derive from the character in Water Margin (Shuihu zhuan, 水滸傳), Guan Sheng (関勝) who uses a large broadsword (大刀). As they carry flags with the Chinese character福 (fu, fortune), they are often called Fu Flag Broadsword Generals (福旗大刀將軍, fuqi dadao jiangjun). The print would be cut in half and each of the door gods would be displayed facing each other. As this pair of prints displayed for the new year has the Chinese character福 (fu, fortune) on them, these door gods are believed not only to ward off evil spirits, but also to bring blessings.
Item History
- Made in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, China before 1976
- Collected between 1967 and 1976
- Owned by Graham E. Johnson before March 9, 1977
- Received from Graham E. Johnson (Donor) on March 9, 1977
What
- Name
- Military Door Gods with Guandao
- Identification Number
- Edz985
- Type of Item
- Manufacturing Technique
- machine made ?, woodblock printed and stencilled
- Overall
- height 37.3 cm, width 31.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Chinese
- Previous Owner
- Graham E. Johnson
- Received from
- Graham E. Johnson (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, China
When
- Creation Date
- before 1976
- Collection Date
- between 1967 and 1976
- Ownership Date
- before March 9, 1977
- Acquisition Date
- on March 9, 1977
Other
- Item Classes
- works on paper
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 0366/0012