Eight Attendants of Fudō Myōō

15th century

Not on view

Fudō's youthful attendants, numbering two, four, eight, or sixteen, were thought to be multiples of his name, the many from one. Servants of the pantheon of Buddhist deities and equipped with supernatural powers, they increasingly became objects of religious interest during the Middle Ages in Japan. Portable shrines, or zushi as they are known in Japan, have been part of religious accoutrements from the very earliest years of Japanese Buddhism. The oldest extant example dates to the mid-seventh century and is housed in Hōryū-ji temple in Nara. This panel was most likely one of a pair of doors flanking a carved statue of Fudō.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

八童子図
Title: Eight Attendants of Fudō Myōō
Period: Muromachi period (1392–1573)
Date: 15th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Door of a portable shrine; ink, color, and gold on lacquered wood
Dimensions: H. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm); W. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm); Th. 1/8 in. (.4 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Bequest of Susan Dwight Bliss, 1966
Object Number: 67.55.38
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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