Scroll 9 of Collected Iconography (Zuzōshō): Ten (Devas)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sketchlike drawings of Buddhist deities in ink and/or light colors played a vital role in transmitting the complex iconography of the multitude of deities who make up the Mikkyō (Esoteric) pantheon. As it is identified on the outside of the scroll, this work contains images of the deva kings (ten in Japanese). Also inscribed on the outside is the scroll's provenance—Kanchi-in, a subtemple of Tōji in Kyoto, an especially rich depository of Esoteric Buddhist images. Included in the scroll are images and descriptions of twenty-four deities, including Shitennō, the guardians of the four cardinal directions, and Jūniten, the Twelve Deva Kings. The deities are identified in the texts preceding their images, which give their names in Chinese characters, their Sanskrit names, seed letters symbolizing their particular virtues, and their special attributes. Monks who later examined the scroll provided punctuation marks and brief commentaries in red ink for the benefit of fellow monks and disciples.

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