Jizo

Origin: Japanese Kamakura Period (1185-1332)
Date: Late 13th to early 14th century
Medium: Hanging Scroll, Ink, color and gold on silk
Ackland Fund
82.9.1

Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism stresses the compassion and availability of Amida, the Buddha of the Western Paradise. Numerous bodhisattvas, achievers of enlightenment who refuse it until all sentient beings are saved, embody the compassion implicit in their position. One of the most important of these is Jizo, whose particular assignment is to save those consigned to Hell. As a savior, Jizo is shown as a tonsured priest, wearing a priest's robe (kesa) and usually in raigo form, that is, descending toward the spectator standing on a swirling cloud. He holds a priest's staff in his right hand and a jewel box in his left containing granted wishes.

The total image is one of graceful compassion. It is characteristic of the Japanese representations of deities in the late Heian and Kamakura periods when the Jodo sects began to become dominant in Japanese Buddhism. This was undoubtedly a private and portable icon, used by priests for family or individual death rituals.