Minneapolis Institute of Art

Aizen Myōō, The Wisdom King of Passion

Japan

Date

16th century

Medium

Hanging scroll, ink, color, and gold on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The fierce Buddhist deity known as Aizen Myōō is one of four Wisdom Kings who guard the four cardinal directions (north, south, west, east) around a central king known as the Immovable One (Fudō Myōō). Aizen is believed to have the ability to transform sexual passion into sacred love and desire for enlightenment. Backed by a fiery halo, wearing a lion-mask helmet, red-skinned, triple-eyed, and bearing an assortment of weapons and ritual objects in his six arms, Aizen is indeed fearsome. He sits on a lotus pedestal within a red orb that floats above a golden urn overflowing with multicolored wish-granting jewels. More jewels, scattered on the ground, symbolize this deity’s generosity in bestowing treasures on those who worship him. Japan, Asia

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