Chionin Temple: Illustration of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra

JAPAN, Kyoto; Kamakura period

This 13th century painting inspired by the Amitayurdhyana Sutra portrays the Amitabha Buddha Triad in the Western Pure Land. A smaller version of the famous Taima Mandala, the painting was listed as an Important Cultural Property in 1909.
Amitabha Buddha is flanked by the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, and is surrounded by the noble community. Pavilions, jeweled trees, and palaces fill the background. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas sit on tendrils of cloud at the top of the picture. In the foreground, there is a pond filled with lotus flowers, lotus leaves, and a lotus-born Bodhisattva. The panels on the left side of the painting portray the story of Queen Vaidehi, while on the right side there are images of twelve of the Sixteen Contemplations on the Pure Land. The inscription at the bottom of the picture is flanked by depictions of the Nine Grades of Rebirth.