Illustrated biography of the monk Ippen

Object Details

• Label

  In 1299, only a decade after his death, the life of the charismatic mendicant Ippen (1239-1299) was celebrated in a massive and lavishly produced set of twelve horizontal silk scrolls. A testimony to Ippen's popularity, this was to be the most extensive and brilliantly executed visual biography of any Japanese religious leader.

  Ippen and his disciples traversed eastern and central Japan endorsing the devotional prayer form of odori nembutsu, a dance that involved rhythmic, repeated invocations of the Amida Buddha. This simple prayer was said to guarantee salvation. The painting seen here is a fragment from a later edition of the Ippen biography, dating from about a century after Ippen's death. Produced on paper and less elaborate than the original, this work testifies to the sustained appeal of the master's simple teachings.

  The narrative scroll was a format frequently used to describe the lives of spiritual leaders or the foundation of religious movements and famous temples. As a detailed record of daily life in early medieval Japan these paintings are invaluable social documents.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  In the Shadow of an Apocalypse (October 14, 2017 to October 28, 2018)

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

  Japanese Art, Galleries 3, 4, and 5 (January 1, 1963 to September 16, 1970)

• 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.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Prayer beads, Kamakura period (1185 - 1333), Art, Pure Land Buddhism, Japanese Art, Umbrellas, Monk, Makimono

• Culture

  Buddhists, Japanese

• Object Type

  Paintings