Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī

Minchō, early 15th century

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Artist: Minchō (Japanese, 1352–1431)
Medium: Hanging scroll, ink and gold on paper
Size: 32 9/16 × 14 in. (82.71 × 35.56 cm) (image)
Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Rights: Public Domain Mark

Kitsusan Minchō was a monk-painter at the Tō fuku-ji Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto. He rejected a promotion to stay a temple warden so he could continue painting. In this scroll, the bodhisattva Monju Bosatsu (in Sanskrit, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva) proffers a book of scriptures, The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (in Japanese, Hannya-kyo; Sanskrit, Prajñāpāramitā sūtra). As a bodhisattva, an enlightened being, Monju remained on earth to help others achieve enlightenment. The subtle addition of gold accents to Bosatsu’s crown and earrings would have glistened in the candlelight of a temple setting.

Text: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), CC BY 4.0.