The Bija A, representing Vairocana (Dainichi)
date: label: Date
content: late 14th-early 15th century
label: Period
content: Muromachi period
notes: label: Label
content: In Japanese Buddhist art, characters representing syllables of the Indian Sanskrit language occasionally symbolized Buddhist deities. Sanskrit syllables, whether written, painted, or spoken, derived their power from their historical association with India, the homeland of the Historical Buddha and the site of his original teachings. In this image, the syllable "a" is enthroned on a lotus, a Buddhist symbol of purity, and surrounded by a circle representing light. This syllable was the symbol for the Cosmic Buddha (Japanese, Dainichi Nyorai) from whom all other Buddhas and bodhisattvas emanate. The lotus surmounts a second red lotus held aloft by a vajra, an ancient Indian weapon representing the power to destroy defilement. In esoteric Buddhism, the three-pronged vajra shown here also symbolized the "three secrets" (sanmitsu) -the body, speech, and mind of the Buddha-which could be realized by the devout practitioner through forming symbolic gestures (mudras) with the hands, speaking magical formulas (mantras), and contemplating a Buddhist deity.
label: Provenance
content: To 1898
label: Provenance
content: Edward S. Hull Jr., New York to 1898 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1898 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Edward S. Hull Jr. in 1898 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Reserved Kakemono List, R. 179, pg. 6, as well as Voucher No. 27, June 1898, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Edward S. Hull Jr. was Ernest Francisco Fenollosa’s (1853-1908) lawyer. Hull often acted as an agent, facilitating purchases of objects consigned to him by Fenollosa, as well as purchases of objects consigned to him by Fenollosa's
label: Provenance
content: well-known associate, Bunshichi Kobayashi (see correspondence, Hull to Freer, 1898-1900, as well as invoices from E.S. Hull Jr., 1898-1900, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives). See also, Ingrid Larsen, "'Don’t Send Ming or Later Pictures': Charles Lang Freer and the First Major Collection of Chinese Painting in an American Museum," Ars Orientalis vol. 40 (2011), pgs. 15 and 34. See further, Thomas Lawton and Linda Merrill, Freer: A Legacy of Art, (Washington, DC and New York: Freer Gallery of Art and H. N. Abrams, 1993), pgs. 133-134.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Words of Wisdom: Buddhist Calligraphy from Japan (April 1, 2023 to February 25, 2024)
label: Exhibition History
content: The Power of Words in an Age of Crisis (October 14, 2017 to May 6, 2018)
label: Exhibition History
content: Religious Art of Japan (December 18, 2002 to January 4, 2015)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Edward S. Hull Jr. (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: Japan
topic: label: Topic
content: Buddhism
label: Topic
content: Muromachi period (1333 - 1573)
label: Topic
content: lotus
label: Topic
content: vajra
label: Topic
content: Japan
label: Topic
content: Vairocana Buddha
label: Topic
content: kakemono
label: Topic
content: Japanese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
label: Topic
content: Sanskrit
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1898.509a-d
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Color and gold on silk
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 120.7 x 42.4 cm (47 1/2 x 16 11/16 in)