| 介绍（英） | Buddha, Shaka (Shakyamuni) on day fourteen, Monju (Manjushri) on day twenty-one, Miroku (Maitreya) on day twenty-eight, Jizō (Ksitigarbha) on day thirty-five, Fugen (Samantabhadra) on day forty-two, Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru) on day forty-nine, Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara) on day one-hundred, Seishi (Mahasthamaprapta) on the first anniversary, Dainichi (Mahavairocana) on the third anniversary, Ashuku (Akshobhya) on the seventh anniversary, Amida (Amitabha) on the seventh anniversary, and Kokūzō (Akasagarbha) on the thirty-third anniversary.
A variety of classes of Buddhist deities are represented, including a wisdom king (myōō), five Buddhas (hotoke), and seven bodhisattvas (bosatsu). The deities are paired in this way in order to a create a set hierarchy of the pantheon of deities and a symbolic religious universe populated by the disparate deities. However, in the final three instances the soul encounters one of the thirteen deities without a corresponding King of Hell—Ashuku, Dainichi, and Kokūzō.
In many Buddhist icons, a primary deity is depicted as the largest, highest, or most visually prominent figure; here, however, no deity is given prominence, a reflection of the equality of their roles in the death rituals. The memorial role is further signaled by the inclusion of the elaborate canopy at the top of the composition. This specific iconography emerges in the thirteenth century, but documentary evidence suggests that earlier memorial services, as early as the eighth century, incorporated smaller groups of deities.
In this painting, twelve of the deities are arranged in a three by four grid with the thirteenth deity at the top under a heavenly canopy. Eleven of the deities sit atop green or white lotus thrones while Fudō and Kokuzo have distinct stands. The deities present are close together which lead to an decision by the artist to not represent Miroku’s throne in favor of Fudō’s flames. However, the remaining figures have unique thrones. The Buddhas and bodhisattvas have halos, green for the top half of the composition and blue for the bottom half, while Fudō Myōō is surrounded by flames. The heavenly canopy is normally centered but is off-center as the painting has been slightly trimmed at some point in its history, which left Kokuzo also off-center. |