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Monju Dressed in a Robe of Braided Grass (Nawa Monju)

A work made of hanging scroll; ink and color on paper.
Public Domain

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  • A work made of hanging scroll; ink and color on paper.

Date:

dated 1415

Artist:

Japanese

About this artwork

The earthly abode of Monju, the bodhisattva of wisdom, was thought to be on Mount Wutai in Shanxi province, China. At this site, pilgrims reported seeing the deity in a variety of more humble manifestations. In an account by the 11th-century scholar Lu Huiqing, Monju appeared as a strangely clad boy, advising Lu that the Buddha’s teachings were simple and clear despite the pedantic commentaries that obscured them. Lu scolded the youth for his impertinence, only to realize that he was speaking with Monju.

An inscription dated 1415 by the monk Godaichi Shûgaku attests to the particular affection in which Monju was held in Zen circles. In the search for enlightenment, Monju’s scorn for excessive dependence on academic learning underscored a fundamental precept of the Japanese Zen branch of Buddhism.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Monju Dressed in a Robe of Braided Grass (Nawa Monju)

Place

Japan (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1410–1420

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Dimensions

92.7 × 40.3 cm (36 1/2 × 15 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Samuel M. Nickerson Fund

Reference Number

1929.68

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/90437/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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