Welcoming Descent of Jizō by Sakai Hōitsu

Welcoming Descent of Jizō c. early 19th century

hanging-scroll

toned paper

water colours

incomplete sketchy

japan

possibly oil pastel

hanging-scroll

coloured pencil

underpainting

pastel chalk drawing

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

watercolor

"Welcoming Descent of Jizō" is a painting by Sakai Hōitsu, a prominent Japanese artist of the Rinpa school, created in the early 19th century. This hanging scroll depicts Jizō, a bodhisattva, standing on a lotus blossom amidst clouds and holding a wish-granting jewel. Hōitsu’s artistic style, known for its meticulous detail, vibrant colors, and emphasis on decorative patterns, is evident in this artwork. The composition, featuring Jizō’s serene expression and the dynamic use of swirling clouds, further exemplifies Hōitsu’s mastery of the Rinpa aesthetic.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Japanese Buddhists worship Jizō as a compassionate deity with the ability to rescue suffering believers, especially those who have been reborn in hell. Here Jizō descends from the heavens on a cloud bank in the guise of a Buddhist monk, with a shaved head and wearing the multipaneled silk garments worn by ordained monks. He carries a wish-fulfilling jewel and a golden walking staff that jingles to announce his arrival. Although Sakai Hōitsu executed this painting primarily in ink and touches of gold, it is iconographically indistinguishable from painted and sculptural images of Jizō that emerged in the 1200s, when worship of this deity became widespread in Japan. Hōitsu is best known as a professional painter and reviver of the decorative, primarily nonreligious Rinpa style of painting that was popular a hundred years earlier, but he also spent the years 1797 to 1809 as a Buddhist monk, which may explain why he created a number of traditional Buddhist devotional paintings over the course of his career.