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Fujiwara no Muchimaro
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This portrait of Fujiwara no Muchimaro (680–737), a grandson of Fujiwara no Kamatari (614–669), includes an image of Buddha Dainichi Nyorai above his head. By situating the image of Dainichi there, this painting would seem to assert that Muchimaro is an avatar of Dainichi. In the same way that kami could be identified with Buddhist counterparts, powerful humans could also be seen as manifestations of Buddhist deities. A similar painting is at Eizanji in Nara, of which Muchimaro is known as the founder. It was once a branch temple of Kōfukuji, the Fujiwara family temple.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineFujiwara no Muchimaro, 1200s or 1300s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333). Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and cut gold on silk; overall: 141.3 x 87 cm (55 5/8 x 34 1/4 in.); with knobs: 210.2 x 112.4 cm (82 3/4 x 44 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1983.5
