Fujiwara no Munehiro

JAPAN; Heian period

According to Diary of Minamoto no Morotoki, Fujiwara no Munehiro painted the topographical map of Tobadono Palace. It is also recorded in Uchiyama Eikyuji Temple Inauguration Text that the two Womb Realm Mandala paintings and Divinely Inspired Reception of the Two Great Sutras, painted on the east and west screens of Shingon Hall in Uchiyama Eikyuji Temple, were also done by him. He was one of the few artists to have their names retained on the paintings, suggesting that his works were highly appreciated.
Paintings purported to be his remain extant in Shingon Hall. Divinely Inspired Reception of the Two Great Sutras was listed as a National Treasure and is now retained at the Fujita Art Museum in Osaka. Shingon Patriarchs, which is listed as an Important Cultural Property, is presently kept at the Idemitsu Museum of Arts in Tokyo. The eight patriarch images are painted on the east and west sliding doors of the hall. The east sliding door is painted with the images of Subhakarasimha, Yixing, Huiguo, and Kukai, and the west door depicts Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.