Amitabha Buddha Rising over Mountains

JAPAN; Kamakura period

This 13th century painting of Amitabha Buddha and six Bodhisattvas rising up out of the clouds behind a mountain range was listed as a National Treasure in 1953. Amitabha towers above the other figures in the painting. The chest and right palm of the Buddha are punched with tiny holes, probably meant to allow colored strings to be attached to the picture for people who are dying to hold in their hands, symbolizing the escort to the Western Pure Land after death. Lines of light radiate from Amitabha’s head. On the left beside the Buddha are Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, who forms the anjali (reverence) mudra, and Bodhisattvas playing the flute and a drum. On the right are Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva holding a lotus throne, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva holding a jewel and a monk’s staff, and a Bodhisattva holding a banner. Brilliant gold coloring and precise details make this one of the most exquisite Kamakura period Buddhist paintings.