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Collections

Unknown
Thirteen Buddhas Welcoming the Dying Believer to the Western Pure Landearly Muromachi Period, 15th century

Not on view
Hanging scroll painting of a central golden Buddha figure surrounded by attendant bodhisattvas and divine figures on swirling clouds against a black ground, with crimson and gold pigments and visible aging

Unknown, Thirteen Buddhas Welcoming the Dying Believer to the Western Pure Land, early Muromachi Period, 15th century, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Far Eastern Art Council Fund, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Thirteen Buddhas Welcoming the Dying Believer to the Western Pure Land
Place Made
Japan
Date Made
early Muromachi Period, 15th century
Period
Muromachi period (1392-1573)
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold leaf on silk
Dimensions
Image: 38 1/8 x 16 3/8 in. (96.8375 x 41.5925 cm); Mount: 69 3/4 x 25 5/8 in. (177.165 x 65.0875 cm)
Credit Line
Far Eastern Art Council Fund
Accession Number
M.2000.32
Classification
Paintings
Collecting Area
Japanese Art
Curatorial Notes

Thirteen Buddhist deities descend on clouds to escort a deceased soul to the Western Pure Land to seek enlightenment apart from the cycle of rebirth. The subject is known as raigō. Twelve figures—including eight bodhisattvas (J. bosatsu), three Buddhas (J. nyorai), and a Wisdom King (J. Myōō) ringed with flames—surround the larger figure of Amida Buddha (Skt. Amitabha), Lord of the Western Pure Land. Amida’s eyes emit rays of light to identify the deceased, and his attendant, Bodhisattva Kannon (Skt. Avalokiteshvara), bends to offer the lotus pedestal that will whisk them to paradise.

The Thirteen Buddhas theme (J. Jūsanbutsu) emerged in Japan during the Muromachi period (1336−1573) in tandem with a series of pre- and postmortem funerary rituals. In order to situate a soul in the Western Pure Land, the deities were petitioned collectively in preparation for death and again on set anniversaries ranging from seven days to thirty-three years after death.

Selected Bibliography
  • Shoemaker, Beatrice B. "On the mandalisation of space: a study of the Daijōji's kyakuden (part 2)" Andon no.103 (2017): 111-132.
  • Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
  • Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.