Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī

Kichizan Minchō

Date

early 15th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink and gold on paper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Kitsusan Minchō was a monk-painter at the Tō fuku-ji Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto. He rejected a promotion to stay a temple warden so he could continue painting. In this scroll, the bodhisattva Monju Bosatsu (in Sanskrit, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva) proffers a book of scriptures, The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (in Japanese, Hannya-kyo; Sanskrit, Prajñāpāramitā sūtra). As a bodhisattva, an enlightened being, Monju remained on earth to help others achieve enlightenment. The subtle addition of gold accents to Bosatsu’s crown and earrings would have glistened in the candlelight of a temple setting. Asia

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