Shaka (Shakyamuni), the Historical Buddha, with Two Attendant Bodhisattvas and Sixteen Arhats

14th century
Not on view
This scroll depicts the Buddha on a bank of swirling clouds at upper center, preaching to a varied group of figures at Vulture Peak. He is flanked by attendant bodhisattvas: Fugen, at right riding a white elephant, and Monju, at left on a blue lion. Below this heavenly triad are sixteen arhats (rakan), enlightened ascetic followers of the Buddha, who engage in a diversity of activities in a landscape of jagged rocks, caverns, and rushing waterfalls. Joining them are two historical figures, both crucial to the development of Japanese Buddhism: at left in a red robe is Shōtoku Taishi (574–622), an imperial prince and early patron of Buddhism, and at right the monk Kūkai (774–835), founder of the Shingon sect of Esoteric Buddhism.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 釈迦三尊十六羅漢像
  • Title: Shaka (Shakyamuni), the Historical Buddha, with Two Attendant Bodhisattvas and Sixteen Arhats
  • Period: Kamakura (1185–1333)–Nanbokuchō (1336–92) period
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
  • Dimensions: Image: 56 1/8 × 29 13/16 in. (142.5 × 75.7 cm)
    Overall with mounting: 96 7/16 × 39 1/8 in. (245 × 99.3 cm)
    Overall with knobs: 96 7/16 × 42 3/8 in. (245 × 107.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.300.1
  • 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.