Fudō Myōō and Two Attendants

Ryūshū Shūtaku (Myōtaku)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fudō Myōō—literally, “the Immovable Wisdom King”—is a fearsome protector of Buddhist teachings. Originally an important deity of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyō), he was also revered in Zen temples. This triptych of images (1975.268.26–.28), hand-painted but with printed outlines, was created as one of the publication projects promoted by early medieval Zen temples to spread Buddhist teachings and iconography. This printed triptych seems to have been based on a painting of Fudō and his attendants executed by the noted Zen monk-scholar Ryūshū Shūtaku (also known as Myōtaku), who is said to have painted pictures of Fudō on a daily basis for over twenty years. The boy attendants often depicted with Fudō are Kongara (on the right) and Seitaka. The model for this printed triptych was most likely Myōtaku’s painting in the collection of the Henjōkō’in temple at Kōyasan

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art