Portrait of Xuanzang (Genjō) with Attendant

Kasuga Motomitsu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Chinese monk Xuanzang (602–664), known as Genjō in Japan, translated a major body of Buddhist scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. In Japan, he was honored as patriarch of the Hossō (Chinese: Faxiang) sect, and this painting would have been displayed by its monastic owners to validate the lineage and authority of their temple. Both Xuanzang’s mission to transmit the teachings and the painting that authenticates this transmission testify to the importance of lineage in Buddhist sects. Lineage is equally significant in the transmission of art and craft techniques in Japan, demonstrating a kinship between religious and artistic paradigms. Here, Xuanzang is depicted with an Indian acolyte, a reference to his travels to India in search of Buddhist teachings. The monk’s features are portrayed in taut “iron wire” lines derived from a Tang dynasty (618–907) representational mode used to connote venerable status.

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