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

This painting depicts the Buddha Amida (Skt.: Amitābha) appearing beyond a mountain ridge to welcome the soul of the deceased to the Pure Land. This is a subject unique to Japan. Its origins are thought to lie in the esoteric Buddhist practice of moon-disc contemplation (gachirinkan), a form of meditative visualization in which the full moon serves as an image of the Buddha’s perfect form. For this reason, the earliest compositions on this theme likely showed Amida facing directly toward the viewer. In contrast, this painting places greater emphasis on the landscape setting and depicts the Buddha from a diagonal perspective as he emerges from the mountains and seems about to descend toward the viewer.

The Japanese term for this iconographic theme can be read in two ways: Yamagoe Amida (“Amida Crossing the Mountains”) or Yamagoshi Amida (“Amida Beyond the Mountains”). Which reading is correct remains open to interpretation. The formation of this iconography was also influenced by the ancient Japanese belief in an otherworld located beyond or upon the mountains (sanjō takaikan); for this reason, the reading Yamagoshi Amida may be more appropriate. In this interpretation, Amida awaits the souls of the dead as they journey toward the world beyond the mountains. Seen from this perspective, the more dynamic treatment found in the present work suggests that the original religious meaning of the image had already begun to recede in favor of a more artistic depiction of the narrative and landscape.

Although skillfully conserved, losses in the silk support remain visible on Amida’s chest and right palm. It is believed that five-colored cords (goshiki no ito) were once attached at these points, making it highly likely that the painting was used at the bedside of the dying. Formerly in the collection of Ueno Riichi (1848–1919), one of the founders of the Asahi Shimbun, this painting already enjoyed a reputation as a celebrated masterpiece before the Second World War.