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The Illustrated Miraculous Origins of the Yūzū Nenbutsu School (Yūzū Nenbutsu Engi Emaki)

1300s

Japan, Kamakura period

(1185-1333)

Handscroll; ink, color and gold on paper

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

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

Location

not on view

Description

This narrative scroll illustrates the story of Priest Ryonin and the Yuzu Nenbutsu sect he founded. The sect was an offshoot of Pure Land Buddhism--a tradition that encouraged reliance on the Amida Buddha for salvation in his Western Paradise. It was believed that by merely repeating the nenbutsu, a simple mantra, one could gain admission into paradise. All the activities in the scroll point to the collective participation of the figures (both human and animal) in the recitation practice and worship of the Amida Buddha.

Inscriptions

Inscription

This narrative scroll illustrates the story of Priest Ryonin and the Yuzu Nenbutsu sect he founded. The sect was an offshoot of Pure Land Buddhism--a tradition that encouraged reliance on the Amida Buddha for salvation in his Western Paradise. It was believed that by merely repeating the nenbutsu, a simple mantra, one could gain admission into Paradise. All the activities in the scroll point to the collective participation of the figures (both human and animal) in the recitation practice and worship of the Amida Buddha.

Provenance

Kashima Seibei, 19th century.

?-1956

(Howard Hollis and Co., Cleveland, OH, ?-1956, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1956-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1956-present

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 914 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 277 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 277 archive.org

Masterpieces of Japanese Art; [Catalogue of the Exhibition] October 4 Through November 30, 1969, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1969. Mentioned: cat. no. 24

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 374 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art. Tōyō kaiga no seika: Kurīvurando Bijutsukan no korekushon kara : tokubetsuten. 1998. Reproduced: p.96-97, cat. no. 63

Admired from afar: masterworks of Japanese painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art [クリーブランド美術館展 : 名画でたどる日本の美 Kurīburando Bijutsukan ten: meiga de tadoru Nihon no bi ]. Tokyo: Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan, 2014. Reproduced: p. 38-43, cat. no. 7

Vilbar, Sinéad, and Kevin Gray Carr. Shinto: Discovery of the Divine in Japanese Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2019. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 256-261, no. 101

Exhibition history

Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 120). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 11-July 13, 2004).

Masterpieces of Japanese Art. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas (October 4-November 30, 1969)

Japanese Decorative Style. The Cleveland Museum of Art (August 30-October 15, 1961).

Reflections of Reality in Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 16-May 1, 1983).

Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992).

Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998).

Honoring Sherman Lee. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 28-August 30, 2009).

Honen: The Life and Art of the Founder of the Pure Land Buddhist Sect. Kyoto National Museum (organizer) (March 26-May 8, 2011).

Admired from Afar: Masterworks of Japanese Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Tokyo National Museum (January 15-February 23, 2014); Kyushu National Museum, Japan (July 8-August 31, 2014).

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{{cite web|title=The Illustrated Miraculous Origins of the Yūzū Nenbutsu School (Yūzū Nenbutsu Engi Emaki)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1956.87|year=1300s|access-date=21 August 2019|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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The Illustrated Miraculous Origins of the Yūzū Nenbutsu School (Yūzū Nenbutsu Engi Emaki)

The Illustrated Miraculous Origins of the Yūzū Nenbutsu School (Yūzū Nenbutsu Engi Emaki)

Japan, Kamakura period

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