Jizō Bosatsu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this vision of Jizō, the compassionate bodhisattva descends to earth on a cloud to save the soul of a suffering believer. Represented in the guise of a Buddhist monk, he carries a wish-fulfilling jewel and a walking staff. To depict his sumptuous priestly robes the artist used a combination of highly reflective blue, green, and red pigments in combination with gold paint and intricately cut strips of gold leaf (kirikane).

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