A Pair of Antique Japanese Paintings of the Illustrated Life of Shinran (Shinran Shōnin Eden)

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Those 18th century Japanese paintings represents the lives of monks, who strove to model themselves after the Buddha, were a … Read more Those 18th century Japanese paintings represents the lives of monks, who strove to model themselves after the Buddha, were a popular source for illustrated narratives. The first biography of Shinran (1173–1263), who founded the True Pure Land (Jōdo Shinshū ) sect, was written by his grandson Kakunyo (1270–1351). Illustrated versions of the story appeared first in the handscroll format and later as hanging scrolls. The latter were displayed in temple halls during the annual memorial service commemorating Shinran’s death. The entire set of scrolls was made visible to the public, allowing all the episodes in Shinran’s life to be seen at the same time, while a monk recited the story aloud—a type of performance known as etoki. Overall 84”
Painting 55.5” x 31.5” See less