This masterpiece, known as the “Kajūji Embroidery,” was named after Kajūji Temple in Kyōto, in which it was preserved. Shakamuni (Skt. Śākyamuni), wearing a vermilion robe, is seated in the center on a lion throne beneath a jeweled tree and a jeweled canopy, surrounded by bodhisattvas, his Ten Great Disciples, and lay people. Heavenly musicians and immortals riding on birds float above the clouds. The work appears to depict the scene of Shakamuni preaching the Lotus Sutra on Vulture Peak in Kingdom of Magadha, India. According to currently studying, however, there are several opinions about this scene: one is that this article represents a memorial service painting for Miroku (Skt. Maitreya) or the first Shakamuni statue by Udayana, another is that this is the painting of Shakamuni’s preaching at the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods (Skt. Trāyastriṃśa), where his mother Maya (Skt. Māyā) transmigrated. This gives the viewer a glimpse of the august splendor of a Buddhist Pure Land towards which people of the time aspired towards in the afterlife.
White plain weave silk (shiro hiraginu) forms the expansive ground (jigire) of this embroidery. French knots (sagaranui) are used for Buddha’s curls (rahotsu) and pedestal, the jewelry and clothing of the bodhisattvas, and parts of the objects held by the Ten Disciples. The rest of the embroidery is executed in chain stitch (kusarinui) with z-twist yarns, and the spaces between the sacred and human figures and other such areas are similarly filled with lozenge-shaped patterns of chain stitch. For this reason, the ground is visible only in small sections where the thread has worn away. Three-dimensionality difficult to obtain in painting is achieved here by the varying sizes of the French knots, the thickness of the chain stitch, and the way in which the stitches change direction (unshin) according to subject. The work displays the artist’s deep understanding of and proficiency in embroidery techniques.
Iconographic and stylistic similarities to the wall paintings at Dunhuang or Longmen in China or to the murals in the Kondō Hall of Hōryūji Temple in Japan indicate that this piece was made in the early eighth century. While there is no firm conclusion as to whether it was produced in China or Japan, the use of the chain stitch across the entire surface and the fact that there are no early Japanese examples of French knotting suggest that it was embroidered in Tang China.
The current panel mounting is a result of relatively recent conservation, although this embroidery is believed have originally hung as an auspicious decoration on the wall of a Buddhist Hall. Textual sources tell us that many such works were produced in the eighth century. While the vast majority have been lost, the Shakamuni Preaching remains as an invaluable relic of its time.