Arhat (Hottara Sonja - Vajraputra) (One of a set with F1904.295 through F1904.311)

Object Details

• Artist

  Ryozen (ca. 1328-ca. 1360)

• Label

  This painting comes from a set that depicts the sixteen arhats (rakan in Japanese) who were the original followers of the Buddha in India. The arhats have attained enlightenment, which has freed them from continuous cycles of birth and rebirth; they remain in the world to protect the Buddhist Law. For special ceremonies, a painting of the Buddha was displayed at the center of two ranks of eight paintings or arhats. The arhats shown here are accompanied by a tiger and a dragon, animals that, in East Asian Buddhism, represent cosmic polarities that can be overcome through Buddhist meditation and practice.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan (March 5, 2022 - July 24, 2022)

  Masters of Mercy: Buddha's Amazing Disciples (March 10 to July 8, 2012)

  Religious Art of Japan (December 18, 2002 to January 4, 2015)

  Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to August 9, 2011)

  Japanese Art (March 12, 1982 to November 3, 1986)

  Japanese Art (February 15, 1981 to March 3, 1981)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Name

  Ryozen

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Vajraputra, Japanese Art, Nanbokucho period (1333 - 1392), Dragon, Halo, Kakemono

• Culture

  Buddhists, Arhats, Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings