Fudo Myo’o

Maker(s)
Artist: Ichigyo
Historical period(s)
Kamakura period, 1185-1333
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
H x W (image): 168.3 × 117.5 cm (66 1/4 × 46 1/4 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1957.9a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll (mounted on panel)

Keywords
Japan, kakemono, Kamakura period (1185 - 1333)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

The Buddhist deity Fudo Myo'o is a protector of the Buddhist law and its believers. He holds a sword and rope to bind up and destroy evil. Flames representing an aura of light appear behind the figure. This image, painted in ink, was probably based on a wood sculpture portraying this deity. Sculptures or paintings of Fudo were placed or hung at the altar of a Buddhist temple for ceremonies. The painter Ichigyo was a Buddhist monk. His precise, expressive draftsmanship reflects professional training in Buddhist painting.

Published References
  • Great Drawings of All Time. 4 vols., New York. pl. 907.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Thomas Lawton, Harold P. Stern. The Freer Gallery of Art. 2 vols., Washington and Tokyo, 1971-1972. cat. 8, vol. 2: p. 154.
Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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