Rooster and Rock, Fan Zeng, ink and color on paper

Rooster and Rock

Fan Zeng

1979

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Bolt of kimono material for woman's kimono, yellow and red
the standing Buddha Amida accompanied by a choir of 25 celestial attendants--flanked by Kannon and Seishi to welcome a dying individual to the Western Paradise—a Buddhist Pure Land where all will eventually attain enlightenment. The dynamic composition and large scale of the shrine (zushi) bring the full power of loving welcome to console the dying. This format became so popular it has its own name, raigo, denoting a welcoming descent. Two small sculptures of monks are placed on clouds in the interior, close to Amida. The gradient shading of gold on the left figure’s clothing signals this is Zendo (Ch. Shandao; 613–81), a 7th century Chinese monk, whose teachings were revived by the Japanese monk Honen Shonin Eden (1133–1212) as part of his founding of the Jodo religious order. Honen is most likely the monk depicted on the right. The transmission of teachings across time and space from the 7th to the 12th century demonstrated in this shrine.
Chapter 14 Channel Buoys, from the series The Color Print Contest of a Modern Genji, Utagawa Kunisada, ink and color on paper
Thickly potted Jar: H 12" Cover: H: 2.5 " x Dia.: 6"