Daigoji Temple: Akasagarbha Bodhisattva

JAPAN, Kyoto; Kamakura period

This 13th century artwork is listed as an Important Cultural Property. According to the inscription at the top, it was brought back from China by Master Doji of Daianji Temple. The postscript at the bottom suggests that this drawing is only a template. The red markings on the nimbus, lotus petals, and the stole appear to be instructions for adding colors. A colored woodcut print kept in Hosomi Museum, Kyoto, is thought to be the finished version of this picture.
Akasagarbha Bodhisattva sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne within a large moon disc, holding a long-stemmed lotus topped with a flaming jewel and forming the varada (wish-granting) mudra. The Bodhisattva wears an ornate headdress, necklaces, and beaded ornaments, and emits numerous beams of light in the form of intersecting lines.