Japanese print by Yoshitsuya Utagawa depicting Sugawara no Michizane, a nobleman of Heihan period and Shinto god, punishing two gods of measles and offering advise on what to eat while suffering from measles. Hosho paper mounted on cardboard, woodcut. Sugawara no Michizane (August 1, 845 - March 26, 903) was a leading court scholar, poet, and political figure of the Heian Period who challenged the powerful Fujiwara family and was sent into exile where he died in disgrace. Shrines dedicated to him were established in Kyoto, Dazaifu, and Tokyo. Deified as tenjin he came to be venerated as the patron saint of scholarship, and even today countless students buy amulets at the many shrines dedicated to him before taking their school entrance examinations.