Fifty-Five Visits of Sudhana

JAPAN; Heian period

These paintings are part of a set of images depicting Sudhana’s 55 visits to spiritual mentors under the guidance of Manjusri Bodhisattva, described in the “Gandavyuha Chapter” of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Among the 55 mentors, Srisambhava and Srimati are shown together, so there are only 54 images. Some of the 54 images share the same frame, making for a total of 20 paintings. Ten are kept at Todaiji Temple, two are collected by the Fujita Museum of Art in Osaka, and the rest are kept by private collectors. They have been listed as an Important Cultural Property.
In the painting of Sudhana visiting Manjusri, the Bodhisattva is depicted sitting on a lotus throne. Bodhisattvas, monks, devotees, and children sit below the throne with their palms joined in reverence. In the image depicting the visit to Maitreya Bodhisattva, a large heavenly palace is painted on the left. Maitreya stands on lotus pedestals and gazes down at Sudhana. An attendant holds a parasol covered with flowers over Maitreya’s head.