Welcoming descent of Amida (Amida raigō 阿弥陀来迎図),

14th century

In this painting, the Buddha Amida (Sanskrit <em>Amitabha</em>) and his bodhisattva attendants Kannon (Sanskrit <em>Avalokiteshvara</em>) and Seishi (Sanskrit <em>Mahasthamaprapta</em>) come to guide a dying devotee to Amida’s Pure Land. The gesture displayed by the hands of Amida has the meaning of appeasing and protecting the devotee on the journey. Kannon carries the lotus throne on which the devotee will be born in the Pure Land. Such works, known as "welcoming descent" paintings, were often the principal images in deathbed rituals of Pure Land Buddhists, in which they were used as a visual focus for the dying devotee. In other examples, thread-like strings for the dying person to hold often were attached to the hands of the painted Amida, creating a physical link between the individual and the Buddha. This work, with its rich use of gold, was probably made with aristocratic sponsorship. The figures are outlined in black and painted in gold on a deep-brown silk ground. Cut gold-leaf decoration has been added to create a rich patterning in their gold-painted clothing. In addition, finely painted golden rays emanate from the layered halo of Amida, and ink details, such as the elaborate jewelry worn by the bodhisattvas and the delicate features of all three deities, are beautifully delineated. The figures stand with bare feet on lotus pedestals, borne on a stream of silver-painted clouds.