Welcoming Descent of the Amitābha Triad

Culture: Japanese
Period: Kamakura period, 1185–1333
Date: early 14th century
Material: Hanging scroll: ink, color, and cut gold leaf on silk
made in: Japan, Asia
Classification: Paintings
Collection: Asian Art
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: image (image): 38 5/8 × 15 9/16 in. (98.1 × 39.5 cm)
scroll: 66 1/8 × 21 15/16 in. (168 × 55.7 cm)
width from roller end to roller end: 24 in. (61 cm)
wooden storage box: 3 5/16 × 24 5/8 × 3 1/4 in. (8.4 × 62.5 × 8.3 cm)
Credit Line: Friends Endowment Fund
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 20:1961

NOTES

This image of “welcoming descent” (raigō) depicts Amitābha (Amida) and his two attendants descending to accept the soul of a dying believer. It represents the highest expression of Pure Land (Jōdo) Buddhism. Rays of golden light emanate from Amitābha, Buddha of the Western Paradise, to signal his coming. The bodhisattva Mahāsthamaprapta (Seishi) folds his hands in prayer while the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) bears a small lotus throne on which the believer will be reborn in the Pure Land.

Such paintings were often hung by the bedside of the dying to ensure the prospect of rebirth in paradise. Sometimes a silken cord is attached to the Buddha’s hand, providing a physical representation of Amitābha’s promise to lead the soul to paradise.

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