Chionji Temple: Master Shandao

JAPAN, Kyoto; Kamakura period

This painting is a copy of an older portrait of Master Shandao, the Fifth Patriarch of the True Pure Land school and the author of several influential Pure Land texts, advocating the chanting of Amitabha Buddha’s name. It was made by Kenshin, a renowned monk of the Tendai school, who was inspired to make a copy of the portrait for ritual worship after the Ohara Debate. In this legendary discussion, which occurred in 1186 during the Kamakura period, Master Honen, the eminent monk, convinced Kenshin and many others that the quickest path to emancipation was to seek rebirth in the Pure Land by chanting Amitabha’s name with single-minded devotion. In 1540 of the Muromachi period, the chief priest of the Tendai school presented this painting to Denyo, the abbot of Chionji Temple. The inscription at the top of the painting is a verse penned by Tansheng. It gives the date as 1161, indicating that the original painting was created in China during the Southern Song dynasty. A masterpiece among the surviving portraits of Shandao, this painting was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1900.
Shandao is dressed in an ornate monastic robe. Standing with his palms joined in reverence, he looks towards the sky with a joyous expression. His mouth is open and five faint Buddha images appear above him on the right, suggesting that he is chanting Amitabha’s name. Behind him, a Chinese-style balustrade is visible, but otherwise the background is dark, emphasizing the central figure.