Cleveland Museum of Art

Welcoming Descent of Amida with Twenty-Five Bodhisattvas

Date

mid-1300s

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, silver, and cut gold on silk

Culture

Japan, Nanbokuchō period (1336–92)

Department

Japanese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This painting depicts the Buddha Amida arriving to escort a dying person to his Pure Land, or Western Paradise. He is attended by an entourage of 25 bodhisattvas, enlightened beings who are committed to serving others, many of whom provide orchestral accompaniment to herald the momentous occasion. The bodhisattva Kannon kneels, holding a lotus dais for the deceased to ride to their destination. One of the percussive instruments played by the bodhisattvas in the painting is called a paiban or hakuban in Japanese.

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