Fugen
date: label: Date
content: 1333-1573
label: Period
content: Muromachi period
name: label: Artist
content: Takuma Eiga 宅間栄賀 (fl. early 14th century)
notes: label: Label
content: The Buddhist deity Fugen, a bodhisattva (enlightened being), is usually depicted riding an elephant. In this small ink painting, the animal lies on the ground in what is clearly an earthly setting, while the youthful Fugen reads from a sutra (sacred text).
label: Label
content: Zen Buddhism, which came to Japan from China, had a profound effect on Japanese spiritual and artistic life. Ink painting became established in Japan through the strong patronage of Zen monasteries, and its influence spread to artists of other sects.
label: Label
content: Takuma Eiga was trained in traditional Buddhist painting techniques that used colors and gold. Here, only ink and the slightest tint of pink on the figure and the elephant are used. In contrast to the resplendent clothing and jewelry seen in traditional Buddhist paintings and sculpture, Fugen wears the robes of a Buddhist monk.
label: Provenance
content: To 1904
label: Provenance
content: Bunkio Matsuki (1867-1940), Boston, to 1904 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1904 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Bunkio Matsuki in 1904 [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] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Kakemono List, S.I. 42, pg. 134, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
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: Mind Over Matter: Zen in Medieval Japan (March 5, 2022 - July 24, 2022)
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: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Art (May 9, 1993 to June 27, 1994)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Art (November 7, 1986 to July 19, 1988)
label: Exhibition History
content: Luminous Shadows (April 1, 1982 to June 21, 1982)
label: Exhibition History
content: Japanese Art (July 1, 1974 to April 10, 1978)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Bunkio Matsuki 松木文恭 (1867-1940) (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: elephant
label: Topic
content: Muromachi period (1333 - 1573)
label: Topic
content: reading
label: Topic
content: sutra
label: Topic
content: Japan
label: Topic
content: halo
label: Topic
content: Fugen
label: Topic
content: kakemono
label: Topic
content: Japanese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
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: F1904.202
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink and color on silk
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 69.4 × 42 cm (27 5/16 × 16 9/16 in)