Gakkō Bosatsu, from “Album of Buddhist Deities from the Diamond World and Womb World Mandalas” (“Kontai butsugajō”)

Attributed to Takuma Tametō Japanese

mid-12th century

Not on view

This page depicts the Bodhisattva of Moon-Radiance (Gakkō Bosatsu). It comes from a book of iconographic drawings representing the vast array of Buddhas and bodhisattvas depicted in the Diamond World (Kongōkai) and Womb World (Taizōkai) Mandalas. His primary name is inscribed in the upper right and his “secret name,” Kiyohara Kongō, in the upper left. The deity’s “seed syllables” (shuji), tiny Sanskrit characters that signify his nature and function, appear at the bottom right along with Chinese characters to aid in their pronunciation and interpretation. At the bodhisattva’s right knee is an explanation of where he appears in the mandala.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

伝託磨為遠筆　月光菩薩像「金胎仏画帖」断簡
Title: Gakkō Bosatsu, from “Album of Buddhist Deities from the Diamond World and Womb World Mandalas” (“Kontai butsugajō”)
Artist: Attributed to Takuma Tametō (Japanese, active ca. 1132–74)
Period: Heian period (794–1185)
Date: mid-12th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Page from a book mounted as a hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensions: 10 × 5 3/8 in. (25.4 × 13.7 cm)
Overall with mounting: 49 1/4 × 15 1/2 in. (125.1 × 39.4 cm)
Overall with knobs: 49 1/4 × 17 3/4 in. (125.1 × 45.1 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.8
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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