Demon Intoning the Name of the Buddha

鬼の念仏図

late 1800s–early 1900s

Suzuki Shōnen 鈴木松年

(Japanese, 1849–1918)

Culture

Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912)

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Measurements

Overall: 194.4 x 61 cm (76 9/16 x 24 in.); Painting only: 106 x 42 cm (41 3/4 x 16 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Kelvin Smith Fund 1991.77

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Location

Not on view

Description

Among the subjects of souvenir paintings made since the 1600s in Ōtsu, a travel hub near Kyoto in western Japan, was a demon in monk’s robes reciting the name of the Buddha Amida to the rhythm of his gong. Ōtsu paintings largely disappeared with the advent of rail travel in the late 1800s, as people no longer stopped in the area. In this work, Kyoto-based artist Suzuki Shōnen reimagined the demon for the modern era—the simple figure from the Ōtsu painting is transformed into a realistic one accompanied by a calligraphic meditation on its nature.