Portrait of Dengyō Daishi (Saichō)
This imagined portrait shows the monk Saichō (767–822), also known by his posthumous title Dengyō Daishi, sitting cross-legged on a Chinese-style carved lacquer chair in front of a painted screen. Saichō was the first Japanese patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, whose teachings are based on those of the Chinese Tientai sect. The notably Chinese-inflected portrayal here is a reminder that Saichō traveled to China in 804 and is said to have brought back manuals on Esoteric Buddhism, drawings of portraits of Tientai masters, and ritual accoutrements. Apocryphal lore also suggests that Saichō’s genealogy could be traced back to Chinese emperors.
Artwork Details
- 伝教大師(最澄)像
- Title: Portrait of Dengyō Daishi (Saichō)
- Artist: Unidentified Artist
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: early 18th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 46 1/8 × 22 7/8 in. (117.2 × 58.1 cm)
Overall with mounting: 76 1/2 × 28 3/8 in. (194.3 × 72.1 cm)
Overall with knobs: 76 1/2 × 31 in. (194.3 × 78.7 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.396.6
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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