Title: Rokudo-e (The Six Realms of Rebirth) and the Ojoyoshu (Essentials of Rebirth), Circa 1750-1850. Two Large Paintings Depicting the Buddhist Realms of Rebirth and the Afterlife, with One Scroll Focusing on Gruesome Punishments and Torture in the Hell Realms
Condition: Very Good and Good
A pair of Mid to Late Edo Period, 18th to mid 19th century paintings depicting Rokudo-e, or the Six Realms of Rebirth, and scenes described in Genshin’s Ojoyoshu, also known as the Essentials of Rebirth.
The Rokudo-e painting depicts several of the realms of existence according to Buddhist teaching, and in this case, the Heavenly Realms. In the Heavenly Realm, the Amida can be seen, with dozens of attendants atop clouds. Below that are scenes of various monks, and scenes of regular life as well, including a Yokai terrorizing a family grieving over the recently deceased. Some of the figures in this painting have been highlighted with gold leaf illumination.
According to the text of the Rokudo-E, each world contains the others, and - as Tendai teaches - one instantaneous thought contains 3,000 worlds. Further, if each time the believer recites the ‘sūtra’ 10,000 or, better, 100,000 times and inks in one of the small circles, he will reach the Pure Land when all are completed.
As for the Ojoyoshi painting, it depicts twelve scenes from the first volume on Hell, showing rather vivid paintings of torture and suffering in the various hell realms, along with various scenes in the realms of Hungry Ghosts and Paradise. The scenes have been copied from a prior edition of the work printed in the Mid to Late Edo Period.
The paintings have been neatly mounted onto brocade decorated kakejiku (hanging scrolls), with jikusaki (knobs) made of brass. There is a wooden box to accompany both scrolls, preserving the contents, and a slipcase as well.
Two paintings mounted on a kakejiku (hanging scroll), Ojoyoshu is 215 x 71 cm full size, 136 x 60 cm main painting; Rokudo-E is 202 x 71 cm full size, 121 x 57 cm main painting
These paintings are in very good to good shape, with minimal rubbing and wear to the scroll covers. The Ojoyoshu painting has minor wear and slight cracking in a few small places, while the Rokudo-E painting has some staining, and more wear and cracking in places, with some loss noted to a few faces.