Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries

Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries

Sōkan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Designed to foretell destiny and to help overcome the influence of unfavorable stellar configurations, the rituals of Esoteric Buddhism, imported from India and combined with native Daoism, played an indispensable role in the religious life of China. Rituals dedicated to stars were also introduced to Japan together with Esoteric Buddhist (Mikkyō ) teachings. Paintings depicting the stellar system were produced and disseminate through copies (zuzō). This handscroll illustrates the Nine Luminaries (Sanskrit: Navagraha) that emerged from the Vedic tradition: the sun and moon; the planets Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury; and personifications of the ascending and descending lunar nodes. Each appears within a disk accompanied by a detailed text explaining the properties and appearance of the figure. The scroll originally would have served as an iconographic reference for monks.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Iconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine LuminariesIconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine LuminariesIconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine LuminariesIconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine LuminariesIconographic Drawings of the Secrets of the Nine Luminaries

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.