Untitled

Unknown

mid- 20th century · Crepe silk with paste-resist dyeing · Asian Art

The upper portion of this man’s under-kimono, a type of undergarment usually seen only by intimate company, shows two skeletons playing a board game, a scene framed by a delicately painted spider web. On a lower section of the back panel a skull is depicted among grasses with a wood plaque that bears the inscription “Namu Amida Butsu.” In Pure Land Buddhism, the recitation of those words signifies the speaker’s complete reliance on the compassion of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light; the act of chanting (nenbutsu 念佛 “mindfulness of the Buddha”) this phrase is believed to allow rebirth in the Pure Land.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid- 20th century

Medium

Crepe silk with paste-resist dyeing

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Edward G. and Jacqueline M. Atkins, 2014