Minneapolis Institute of Art

Demon Reciting Buddhist Prayers

Japan

Date

second half 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Oni are horned, fanged, and generally ferocious demons whose actions range from the truly sinister to the benignly humorous. This one wears the black robes of a Buddhist priest. With a brass gong hung around his neck, a small hammer in his right hand, and a list of followers in his left, he chants the nembutsu , an invocation to Amida Buddha for the salvation of all souls. The Japanese reveled in the simple humor of such unlikely juxtapositions as a demon masquerading as a priest. These popular images of demons often served as signboards for the painting shops that line the streets of the towns of O_tsu and Oiwake. Asia

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