MEG

Assembly of “Transcendent Wisdom”, Hannyae 般若會
Japan
18th century
Silk painting, with the arms of the Konoe 近衞
Collection of William Favre, who donated the La Grange estate to the City of Geneva; loaned to the MEG in 1974

The central image (honzon 本尊) of a Zen and Esoteric Buddhist ceremony, devoted to the Great Sūtra of the Prajñāparamitā, in which we see the 24 protagonists: a) The Śākyamuni Buddha surrounded by the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra; b) The transmission of the sūtra: the bodhisattva Dharmodgata and the monk Ānanda; c) The protection of the sūtra: the Sixteen Good Spirits; d) The introduction of the sūtra into China: its translator Xuanzang with his acolyte and his protective spirit Jinja Daishō 深沙大将.

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Japanese Buddhist iconography

Buddhism passed from China to Japan in the 6th century. There it was particularly influenced by its esoteric form (Tantrism). This form uses rituals to a large number of beings who incarnate various degrees of enlightenment: buddhas, bodhisattvas, gods and goddesses, “kings of science” and others. Tantric Buddhism is represented by the Shingon and Tendai schools. They specialised in iconography in order to codify the colours, postures and gestures of the various personages used not only in the rituals but as an aid to meditation.

The great Amida (<i>Daibutsu</i>) Buddha of Kamakura, <i>Views and Customs of Japan</i>, by Stillfried & Andersen, Yokohama, around 1870.

The great Amida (Daibutsu) Buddha of Kamakura, Views and Customs of Japan, by Stillfried & Andersen, Yokohama, around 1870. Alfred Bertrand collection © MEG Inv. ETHPH 411954

ETHAS PG0052

Japon peinture : l'Assemblée de la Perfection de sagesse (Hannyae)

Japanese Buddhist iconography