A PAINTING DEPICTING A BUDDHIST TRIAD Japan, 18th Century

Ink, color and gilt on paper, glazed

Private European Collection, early 20th century

Paintings which depict Shakamuni Buddha expounding the Lotus Sutra, with the bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Manjushri by his side are refered to as Sangatsukyo Mandala in Japanese.  In the present example, Samantabhadra and Manjushri are seated on their respective mounts, an elephant and a lion, at the foot of Buddha's Sumeru throne.  Buddha is seated dhyanasana with his right hand in abhayamudra and left in dhyanamudra, surrounded by a multi-colored mandorla. The central triad is flanked by twenty figures arranged symmetrically including devas, nagas, yakas, gandharvas, and other beings of the heavenly realms, as well as Shinto deities and a monk. The painting is enclosed within a border painted to resemble a brocade mount. It is likely that such paintings were displayed during readings of the Lotus Sutra and other religious ceremonies.

The Lotus Sutra is the most popular and influential sutra in the Mahayana tradition and is believe to encapsulate all the teachings of Buddha revealed during the fifty years after he attained enlightenment. It had a profound influence on the Tendai School of Buddhism which was the dominant form of mainstream Buddhism in Japan for many years starting around the beginning of the 9th century under the patronage of the Imperial family after the capital was moved to Kyoto.   

An important example of a painting from this genre is in Shana-in in Shiga prefecture from the Kamakura period which is designated an important cultural property. Unlike the present example in which the central Buddha figure is surrounded by deities, the Shana-in example has the main figure surrounded by arhats while the figures around Samantabhadra and Manjushri are all dressed in 13th /14th century Japanese court attire. This indicates that this genre of painting was already popular in Japan during that time. A similar example of such paintings is in Mantokuji temple in Nagano prefecture, which is also from the Kamakura period.  In the Mantokuji example, Buddha sits with his hands in dhyanamudra and is flanked by seven bodhisattva on each side.