Anonymous
Raigō, The Descent of the Amida Buddha
Item number: T-3120Size: H 33.1" x W 14.6" (84 x 37.2 cm)
Age: late 14th century
Hanging scroll, gold pigment, cut gold leaf (kirikane), colors, and ink on silk
The central figure in this triad, the Amida Buddha, appears on a golden cloud with his retinue of two attendants, in the process of descending to earth to receive a dying soul and transport it back to the Western Paradise. His two attendants are Seishi to the left with hands joined in prayer, and Kannon to the right holding a lotus throne. They are shown going toward the right, diagonally across the surface of the scroll, and are inclined forward to indicate the high speed of the descent.
This emphasis on speed and immediacy, aided by details such as the trailing ends of the clouds on the deities’ lotus stands, creates a strong contrast to the formal frontal icons of other Buddhist sects. The sense of a deity actively at work for the salvation of individual believers was one of the key attractions of Amida Buddha and the Pure Land sects, and was one of the factors that led to the great growth of popularity of the sect during Japan’s medieval period. The sense of intimacy between the viewer and the deities is further indicated by details such as the delicately welcoming smile of Kannon, who seems utterly pleased at the prospect of receiving the dying believer into the Western Paradise.
The scriptural reference for this painting of the Pure Land Buddhist sect can be found in the Amida Buddha’s forty-eight promises to the believer in the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sutra. Of these, the eighteenth has become accepted as a source of the idea of Raigō, the descent of Amida and the rebirth in the Western Paradise:
May I not gain possession of perfect awakening if, once I have attained buddhahood, any among the throng of living beings in the ten regions of the universe should single-mindedly desire to be reborn in my land with joy, with confidence, and gladness, and if they should bring to mind this aspiration for every ten moments of thought and yet not gain rebirth there. This excludes only those who have committed the five heinous sins and those who have reviled the True Dharma.1
The hand gesture, or mudra, is that of the Aniin 安慰印 type that relate specifically to the Amida Buddha. The gesture of the Amida in this painting, formed by the touching of the two index fingers and thumbs, »signifies the descent of the Amida on the earth to seek the souls of the dead, and is one of the most frequently represented forms of Amida.«2
This fine painting is executed in mineral colors and various gold techniques, showing the shikkai konjikishin 悉皆恨金色身 techniques of gilding the entire body of the deity and also showing cut gold kirikane 切金 outlines of the drapery. The figures have been doubly painted—both on the front and on the back of the silk—which has ensured their survival. Only the lotus stands and their clouds have faded, making their ghostly presence barely visible against the darkened silk.3
Similar examples exist in numerous museum and temple collections. For example, a hanging scroll with a triad in the Miho Museum, also dating from the late fourteenth century, displays exactly the same composition, including a set of fifteen rays emanating from the Amida. Examples in the Kōmyōji, Chūgūji, and Nyoraiji temples in Japan also display similar compositions of the three main figures.4
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