The Illustrated Miraculous Origins of the Yūzū Nenbutsu School

融通念仏縁起絵巻

early 1300s

Japan, Kamakura period

(1185–1333)

Medium

Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on paper

Measurements

Painting: 29.7 x 1232.4 cm (11 11/16 x 485 3/16 in.); Mounted: 30.3 x 1373.5 cm (11 15/16 x 540 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt, John L. Severance, and Edward L. Whittemore Funds 1956.87

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Location

235B Japanese

Did You Know?

The other scroll from this two-scroll set belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Description

This painting is the second of a set of two illustrated handscrolls. The first scroll depicts the biography of the Japanese Buddhist monk Ryōnin. This scroll begins with scenes of Ryōnin’s death and relates episodes illustrating the efficacy of following his teachings. Ryōnin asserted the total interconnectedness of all things and the spiritual benefit of chanting the name of the Buddha Amida for one another.