Welcoming Descent of Amida (Amida Raigō)

Unknown artist, 1300–1333

Download1762 × 3400 px View on a wall Edit

Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color and gold on silk
Size: Painting: 171.8 x 84.5 cm (67 5/8 x 33 1/4 in.); Mounted: 269.1 x 113.3 cm (105 15/16 x 44 5/8 in.)
Culture: Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

In the Pure Land school of Buddhism, Amida Buddha is the focus of worship. Pictured here is the raigō, or the moment when Amida descends with his retinue to welcome a dying person into his Pure Land, called the Western Paradise. Once there, a person can concentrate on becoming enlightened. Images like this one could be placed before a person on their deathbed to help them stay faithful and motivated to attain birth in the Pure Land.