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“Universal Gateway,” Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra
Additional Images (25)

“Universal Gateway,” Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra

Calligrapher: Sugawara Mitsushige (Japanese, active mid- 13th century)
Period: Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Date: dated 1257
Culture: Japan
Medium: Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Overall with mounting: 9 11/16 in. × 30 ft. 8 1/16 in. (24.6 × 934.9 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchase, Louisa Eldridge McBurney Gift, 1953
Accession Number: 53.7.3
On view in Gallery 223
Description Object Information Related Objects Online Resources Video Audio
One of the masterworks of the Metropolitan’s Buddhist painting collection, this handscroll is the earliest known painted version of chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra, known as the “Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds.” With scripture interspersed with thirty-four colorful images, it celebrates merciful acts of the compassionate bodhisattva Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara). A bodhisattva is a Buddhist deity who has postponed his own salvation to help others achieve theirs. According to the calligrapher’s inscription, this work was modeled after a Chinese printed book of 1208, which in turn was based on an earlier painted handscroll. The anonymous artist who transformed the Chinese original inventively incorporated indigenous yamato-e (traditional Japanese painting style) elements, especially in the landscapes.
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On view in Gallery 223

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