National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

The bodhisattva Fugen (Skt. Samantabhadra) is said to travel to every corner of the cosmos to help all beings attain enlightenment in the service of the buddha Śākyamuni. In particular, many depictions of Fugen are based on the 28th chapter of the Lotus Sutra titled “Encouragement of Samantabhadra,” which says the bodhisattva rides a six-tusked white elephant and manifests to protect those who follow the tenets of the Lotus Sutra. One of the earliest examples in Japan is found in the murals of the Kondō Hall of Hōryūji Temple, but many exceptional works were painted afterward when faith in the sutra flourished from the late Heian (794–1185) to Kamakura period (1185–1333). Among these, the style of this work is distinct for its richly evocative depiction, despite its small size.

A warm, soft texture is created through the application of shading in light red pigment on the bodhisattva’s fair skin. The outlines were formed in flowing curved lines of diluted ink, and the figure has a rounded, less muscular physique. The different parts of the robes are painted in subdued hues, with the folds in the robes lightly rendered in curved strips of cut gold leaf. The bodhisattva has other glittering accents that soften the outlines as well, such as the cut pieces of gold and silver leaf on the ornamental chains (yōraku) that cover the figure’s body. Fugen is wrapped in a gentle atmosphere created through a halo and mandorla with designs rendered primarily in silver mixed with cut pieces of gold leaf. This is further enhanced by pieces of silver leaf on the ornamental chains hanging from the bodhisattva’s canopy, which is itself made of brilliantly colored flowers.