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

　　This painting represents Water-Moon Kannon with a round halo who is sitting on a rock sticking out of the water. With a willow branch in a water jug (suibyo) on the side, Water-Moon Kannon calmly stares at the moon reflected on the surface of the water on the bottom left. A stream of a waterfall on a sheer cliff is represented on the upper part of the background. Although White-Robed Kannon is also seen in the Lotus Hall (Rengebu-in) of the Mandala of the Womb World, the appearance is different. The image of White-Robed Kannon seen in this painting seems to have first appeared in temples of the Zen sect in the Southern Sung period, these kinds of paintings were often drawn in the period between the Sung and Yuan periods in China and after the Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan.
　　Ten’an Myoju, who wrote the tribute, was from the Bukko branch of the Rinzai sect and a disciple of Koho Kennichi, who was one of the best leading disciples of the founder of the Bukko branch Mugaku Sogen. He served as the chief priest of Jochiji Temple and Manjuji Temple in Kamakura and Shinnyoji Temple and Nanzenji Temple in Kyoto and founded Ankokuji Temple in Tanba Province around the Kenmu period. He passed away in Jowa 1 (1345), at the age of 79. “Tokuzan,” or “Mountain of Merit”—an epithet for Ankokuji Temple. Therefore, this painting is considered to have been drawn around the Kenmu period when Ten’an was involved with Ankokuji Temple. This painting is valuable as one of the earliest ink monochrome works (suiboku ga) in Japan. At that time, there were various paintings including paintings combining traditional iconographies such as Juichimen Kannon (Skt. Ekādaśamukha-avalokiteśvara) and Nyoirin Kannon (Skt. Cintāmaṇicakra) with ink works technique and paintings of White-Robed Kannon, which were probably created in the temples of Zen sect using ink monochrome works, coexisted. In addition, the degree of perfection of these pictures differs depending on the painter. This painting has the features of a painting style of a transformation period, which still applied the techniques of Buddhist painting in lines and ink representation.