is an

anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anonym ...

hanging scroll A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit East Asian painting and calligraphy. The hanging scroll was displayed in a room for appreciation; it is to be distinguished from the handscroll, which was narrower and ...

from the 11th century depicting the resurrection of

Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

as described in the Mahamaya Sutra. A masterpieceNoritake Tsuda, ''History of Japanese Art''. (2009) p. 326. of Buddhist painting in the late

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

(794–1185), it has been praised for its "lively" and "extremely delicate and sensitive" ink brushwork, "used skillfully to create a dramatic scene". The decoration of the dresses is seen as characteristic of the Fujiwara period, with "elaborate cut-gold design" and "gold and rich colors applied to the main figure wonderfully". It has been designated a

National Treasure of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...

. The scroll depicts a dramatic scene following the death of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

(''Shaka'' or ''Sakyamuni''). When his mother '' Maya'' heard that Buddha had died and attained

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

and entered

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

, she rushed to see him from

Trāyastriṃśa The (Sanskrit; Pali ) heaven is an important world of the devas in the Buddhist cosmology. The word is an adjective formed from the numeral , "33" and can be translated in English as "belonging to the thirty-three evas. It is primarily the ...

. When she arrived, Buddha opened his golden coffin and rose up, with one thousand rays gleaming from his head. According to the ''Mahamaya Sutra'', he then "calmly informed his mother that all laws are imperishable, and that he had left behind him all the law necessary for posterity".Noritake Tsuda, ''History of Japanese Art: From Prehistory to the Taisho Period''. (2009) p. 328. This

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

was the first reference to the episode of the resurrection of Buddha. It was translated into chinese in the 6th century, and has been seen as a main influence for this painting. Many saintly figures, demons and animals surround the coffin and contemplate the scene, as Buddha and Maya look at each other. After speaking with his mother, Buddha laid down and closed himself the coffin. The painting used to belong to the Chōhō-ji temple, but it was donated by Matsunaga Kinenkan to the Kyoto National Museum in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, where it is now kept and exhibited occasionally. During January 2018, it was lent to the Tokyo National Museum, and exhibited in the Honkan Room 2 (National Treasure Gallery).

References

* Noritake Tsuda, ''History of Japanese Art: From Prehistory to the Taisho Period''. (2009) Tuttle Publishing,

External links

{{Commons cat, Shaka rising from the Gold Coffin
Website of the painting (Kyoto National Museum) Website of the painting (National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
Buddhism in Japan National Treasures of Japan Japanese paintings Resurrection