Amitabha Buddha Triad

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

The Amitabha Buddha Triad is depicted on three separate scrolls, each measuring 127 cm high and 48.8 cm wide. They were painted in the late 12th century by Puyue, a monk and artist. The word “Siming” in the signature suggest that Puyue could have been a disciple of Siming Zhili, who was a patriarch of the Tiantai school. The scrolls were brought to Japan, and were listed as Important Cultural Properties in 1949. Each of the figures stands on two lotus pedestals and is enveloped within a petal-shaped mandorla. Amitabha Buddha has a usnisa, and is dressed in a red monastic robe. There is a ring of bright light around the Buddha’s nimbus. On the right, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva wears a crown decorated with a Buddha image, and holds an alms bowl and a willow branch. On the left, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva holds a long-stemmed lotus.