Title: Amida Nyorai, Manifesting as Dharmakaya, Circa 1741-1788. Early Edo Silk Painting of the Amida Buddha, with Provenance of the 17th Head Priest of Higashi Honganji Temple
Author: Honyo Shonin
Condition: Fair
A Mid Edo Period, 18th century silk painting of the Amida Nyorai, Manifesting as Dharmakaya, standing atop of a lotus dais while radiating beams of light. The rays of light symbolize the forty-eight vows made by the Amida when he was a bodhisattva to help others attain enlightenment.
The painting has been made with considerable detail, the Amida’s vestments highly detailed, and his appearance and the rays of light all shining brightly.
This painting has been inscribed by Honyo Shonin, 17th head priest of Higashi Honganji Temple. He was the second son of Jakuen of Hontoku-ji Temple, who was the son of the head priest Ryonyo. He succeeded to the position at the age of 37. In 1760, he rebuilt the current Amida Hall, and in 1762 published the Shinshu Hoyo to promote teachings and scholarship and devoted himself to responding to the legal debates and disputes over the name of the sect in Meiwa. He passed away at the age of 83.
The painting has been neatly mounted onto a brocade decorated kakejiku (hanging scroll), with jikusaki (knobs) made of wood.
One silk painting mounted on a kakejiku (hanging scroll), 78.5 x 27.5 cm full size, 35x 16.3 cm main painting
This painting is in good shape, showing only minor paint loss in areas, closer below the Amida’s lotus dais. The brocade kakejiku however, has torn in half at the top, part of the decorated cover cleanly detached.