Yuzu Nembutsu Engi (Account of the origins of the Yuzu Nembutsu Buddhist sect)

Object Details

• Label

  During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), following a period of warfare between rival warrior families, peace was established under the rule of a shogun appointed by the emperor. In the same period as the establishment of the first Zen Buddhist monasteries--which taught that enlightenment could be achieved through meditation and personal effort--Buddhist movements led by charismatic monks promised salvation and redemption from the cycle of rebirth through faith in the Buddha Amida (Amitabha). In didactic form the text of this handscroll, which is one of a pair, relates the doctrine and deeds of the monk Ryonin (1072-1132), the founder of the Yuzu Nembutsu sect. The scroll recounts that through the power of Amida, both people and deities would join the faith. Even those who had fallen into hell could be saved by belief in the Buddha.

  Many handscrolls of engi, literally "cause and effect" with regard to the founding and histories of Buddhist temples, were commissioned and produced during the Kamakura period, an era of intense religious proselytizing and significant increase in Buddhist belief among the common people. Pairs of scrolls of the Yuzu nembutsu engi are particularly numerous.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Tales and Legends in Japanese Art (June 21, 2003 to January 4, 2004)

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

  Japanese Art (July 14, 1980 to March 6, 1981)

  Japanese Art (April 11, 1978 to March 6, 1981)

  Japanese Art: Painting and Sculpture (July 1, 1966 to May 2, 1973)

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• 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

  1400s, 1300s

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Kamakura period (1185 - 1333), Art, Japanese Art, Makimono

• Culture

  Buddhists, Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings