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Anrakujuin Temple: Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Attendants
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Anrakujuin Temple: Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Attendants
JAPAN, Kyoto; Kamakura period (1185-1333); Ink and color on silk; 86.8 x 52.9 cm
This 13th century painting of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1906. Samantabhadra is seated in a relaxed pose upon a lotus throne on the back of a six-tusked elephant. Wearing a tall headdress and a robe with decorative sleeves, the Bodhisattva holds a long-stemmed lotus placed with three vajras. Four similarly attired Bodhisattvas stand beside Samantabhadra, holding an incense burner, a peacock feather, a flower, and a tray covered with flowers. With the head, neck, and legs adorned with ornaments, the stately elephant holds a lotus with its trunk. A mahout stands beside the elephant, carrying a rope and a halberd. At the bottom of the picture, a small child joins palms in reverence. This bright and colorful silk painting is characteristic of Buddhist paintings from the Kamakura period. |
