Concise Illustrated Biography of Monk Nichiren: Calming the Stormy Sea at Tsunoda in Exile to Sado Island
The story of the life of Nichiren (1222–1282), the iconoclastic founder of the sect of Buddhism that bears his name, has inspired legions of his followers to the present day. Kuniyoshi’s series of prints captures the dramatic moments of the priest’s biography, including this scene of a vision of the sect’s main devotion, the invocation “Praise to the Sutra of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma [Namu Myōhō Renge Kyo],” in the ocean waves as Nichiren travels to exile in 1272.
Artwork Details
- 歌川国芳画 「高祖御一代略図 佐州流刑角田波題目」
- Title: Concise Illustrated Biography of Monk Nichiren: Calming the Stormy Sea at Tsunoda in Exile to Sado Island
- Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861)
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: 1835–36
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 8 7/8 x 13 3/4 in. (22.5 x 34.9 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
- Object Number: JP2860
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.