Ryōzu Aizen Myōō (Rāgarāja)｜Nara National Museum

Ryōzu Aizen Myōō (Rāgarāja)

Hanging scroll; colors on silk
H 92.1, W 39.4
Kamakura period　14th century

H034171

H034171
2016/05/25

H034172
2016/05/25

H034173
2016/05/25

H034174
2016/05/25

H034175
2016/05/25

J002792
2016/05/25

J002793
2016/05/25

J002794
2016/05/25

J002795
2016/05/25

D024026
2000/03/21

D019367
1997/09/11

A233646
2000/03/21

A225278
1997/09/11

A225280
1997/09/11

A225281
1997/09/11

This painting combines the red Wisdom King Aizen Myōō (Skt. Rāgarāja) and the blueish-black Fudō Myōō (Skt. Acala) into a single deity, an iconography symbolizing the unity of opposing principles. Two children aim at birds and a fox with arrows. The composition brings together several elements in an unusual combination suggesting a complex religious background. The painting’s upper section includes the bodhisattva Monju (Skt. Mañjuśrī) and a representation of the Big Dipper.

HAGIYA MidoriEnglish by Mary Lewine
Buddhist Art Paradise: Jewels of the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2021.7, p.342, no.108.

Accession Number	1309-0
Category	Paintings
Bibliography	Buddhist Art Paradise: Jewels of the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2021.7, 354p. Nara National Museum News Vol.100. Nara National Museum, 2017.1, 8p. MYŌŌ: Buddhist deities of wrath and love. Nara National Museum, 2000, 209p. (Japanese)