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

　This painting represents the image of White-Robed Kannon (Byakue Kannon) while sitting on a rock. Due to a child drawn on the bottom left, it is clear that the main figure represented in this painting is a Kannon that sits in the lotus position (kekka fuza) on gems in the southern heavenly land where the Kannon lives, Mt. Potalaka, among scenes of Sudhana’s (Zenzai Doji) pilgrimage described in the last chapter of the “Flower Garland Sutra,” ‘Entering the Dharma Realm.’ A bamboo grove and a waterfall in the background are represented in common motifs of ink monochrome works (suiboku ga) to respond to one passage of the sutra: ‘There are beautiful scenery in the heavenly land such as ample forests of flowers, fruits and trees, springs, streams, ponds and lakes.’ The features such as the willow in a flower vase placed near the Kannon and water underneath the rock have a close iconographical relationship with those known as Willow Kannon (Yoryu Kannon) and Water-Moon Kannon (Suigetsu Kannon), however, with the increased popularity of ink paintings, the images of White-Robed Kannon have been drawn with interest in the pureness of the white robe and they are particularly favored in the temples of Zen sect. The Chinese poetry with four lines of seven characters (shichigon zekku) at the top of this painting was written by Yakuo Tokken (1245–1320), who served as the chief priest of Nanzenji Temple and various temples in Kamakura and it is presumed that the painting was drawn in the period from the end of thirteenth century when he came back from the Sung dynasty of China to his death. Although this painting is one of the early works of ink monochrome works and particularly the oldest existing painting of White-Robed Kannon, it is notable that the very high degree of ink technique has already been used to provide the space with the greater depth.