Arhat (Panthaka)

Maker(s)
Artist: Ryōzen (ca. 1328-ca. 1360)
Historical period(s)
Nanbokucho period, mid-14th century
Medium
Ink and color on silk panel
Dimensions
H x W (image): 113.7 x 59.4 cm (44 3/4 x 23 3/8 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1904.310
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
Arhat, Buddhism, cave, Chuda-Panthaka, Japan, Nanbokucho period (1333 - 1392)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

This painting (from a set of sixteen) depicts arhats, sages who have reached enlightenment through the teachings of the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Their facial expressions reflect their superior wisdom and the intensity of their vow to protect the Buddhist law (dharma) after Shakyamuni's death. At ceremonies held regularly in some Buddhist temples on the fifteenth day of every month, a set of paintings representing each of the sixteen principal arhats is displayed with a central sculpture or painting of Shakyamuni. This hanging scroll comes from a set that once belonged to the Sanshogokokuzenji, a sub temple of the Tofukuji, a major Zen Buddhist monastery in Kyoto.

Published References
  • Butsuga Ruijyuu. vol. 1, Japan. .
  • Zaigai hiho [(Japanese Paintings in Western Collections]. 3 vols., Tokyo. vol. 2: pt. II, p. 45.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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