Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries

Sōkan Japanese

Not on view

Many Esoteric Buddhists believed that celestial bodies held the secrets to their destiny, and that in certain configurations they could cause misfortune. To foretell and help overcome these influences, they adopted rituals from China, where understandings of the heavens were also intertwined with Daoist beliefs. This handscroll illustrates the Nine Luminaries: the sun and moon; the planets Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury; and two important points in the moon’s orbit.

On view for rotations 1 and 2

Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

section 1 of 13

Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan
Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries, Sōkan (Japanese, active late 11th–early 12th century), Handscroll; ink and color on paper, Japan

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.