十三仏図大津絵|Ōtsu-e of Thirteen Buddhist Deities

Unknown

17th century · Hanging scroll; ink, color, and woodblock print on paper · Asian Art

The image of Thirteen Buddhist Deities was hung for memorials for the deceased held at fixed intervals over the days and years after death. Originally, a series of paintings depicting the deities individually was used, but this image combines them into one icon that could be employed repeatedly by less affluent families. The deities’ halos and mandorlas are woodblock printed with the same block, while a limited number of different blocks were used to give a measure of variety to the faces. The same block, for example, used for the head of the bodhisattva Jizō (Sanskrit: Kshitigarbha) was used for that of the King of Brightness, Fudō (Sanskrit: Achala) such that the latter loses his typically fierce countenance.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink, color, and woodblock print on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

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