Japanese Gohonzon Buddhist Calligraphy Mandala Scroll Meiji Period

A Japanese sumi ink calligraphy Buddhist mandala mounted as a paper hanging scroll known as Kakejiku or sometimes Moji mandala. Termed as gohonzon in Japanese, it is a venerated object within Nichiren Buddhism (Hokkeshu; lotus sect). The originally concept was developed by the 13th century Buddhist priest Nichiren to guide the energy of the devotional chanting to...

A Japanese mounted vertical hanging scroll painting by Mori Tetsuzan (Japanese, 1775-1841) circa 19th century Edo period. The watercolor and ink on silk ...

A Japanese hanging silk scroll by late Edo period painter Haruki Nanmei (1795-1878). The gouache painting was in the tradition of Kano school and depicts an old scholar dressed in lo...

A Japanese silk Suijaku hanging scroll beautifully presented in a custom wood shadow box frame from Edo period (circa 18-19th century). The scroll, surmounted on golden brocade was painted in fine details with gouache, ink and gold powder highlight, served as a Suijaku mandala for the worshippers. Honji Suijaku is a complicated religious concept uniquely developed in Japan. It mixed and hybrid the Buddism deities with native shinto spirits (known as Kami), which were seen as local manifestations (the suijaku, literally means a "trace") of Buddhist deities (the honji literally the original ground). The original idea may lie with the synergetic strategy to spread Buddism by making it more relatable to the local population who had already worshiped Shinto gods. The paradigm, adopted in the 10th century from an orignal Chinese concept, remained a defining feature of Japanese religious life up to the end of the Edo period (1868). Instead of being confined to deities, its application was often extended to historical figures as shown on this scroll. This long hanging scroll depicts an arrangement of 21 figures including Buddhism and Shinto deities as well as two historical figures on the bottom. Each figure was name-tagged in Kanji for easy identification by the worshippers. It was used in the temple or shrine so that when the worshipper prayed in front the mandala, they prayed simultaneously to all the deities. On the very top, sits Nyorai-Kojin, a hybrid deity of Nyorai Buddha and Kojin, the kaki for fire, stove and kitchen. From the top to bottom and left to right, here is the list of the deities: Kanon with Thousand Hands, Kanon with Willow Branch, Monju Bosatsu...

This is a slightly different Buddhist painting believed to have been created by a Japanese temple monk during the Edo period (late 17th to 19th century). Rendered in ink on paper, th...

Hanging scroll with such unstrained and refined calligraphy of ‘Kyoka’ (lit. ‘Mad poetry’ – Humorous style of Japanese tanka poetry with joke or irony or satire) by a late Edo-period...

Japanese painting of Shito religion shrine depicted the four deities in court dress represent a hierarchy of local Shinto gods (kami) and with pair of guardian lions and lower stairw...

Interesting and finely painted Japanese painting. Provenance: From an old family from Kyoto. width of about 62.0 cm axial destination width of about 67.8 cm × length of about 1...