Here, the bodhisattva Jizō—referred in Sanskrit as Kshitigarbha—takes the guise of an itinerant monk. He holds in his left hand a wish-fulfilling jewel and in his right hand a monk’s staff with six rings that jingle to announce his arrival. From hell to paradise, Jizō’s compassionate presence illuminates the righteous way, and he saves from harm those who call out to him.
The beautiful flowing movement of the garment helps to date this work to the early Kamakura period. Traces of richly colored paint and cut-gold decoration remain on the lower half of the sculpture, providing a rare glimpse of the work’s original condition.
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地蔵菩薩像 (Jizō Bosatsu ryūzō)
Title:Jizō, Bodhisattva of the Earth Store (Kshitigarbha)
Period:Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Date:late 12th–mid-13th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:Wood with lacquer, pigment, and cut gold
Dimensions:Figure with base: H. 71 1/2 in. (181.6 cm); W. 28 1/2 in. (72.4 cm); D. 22 1/2 in. (57.4 cm) Figure with base and staff: H. 74 1/4 in. (188.6 cm)
Classification:Sculpture
Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1918
Accession Number:18.93
[ T. Z. Shiota , San Francisco, until 1918; sold to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Bodhisattva Jizo, Guardian of Wandering Souls," February 21–May 20, 1990.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Resonant Image: Tradition in Japanese Art (Part Two)," April 27–September 27, 1998.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Japan," 1998.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Tribute to a Dedicated Collector: Mary Griggs Burke," June 30–November 29, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Autumn and Winter," June 22–September 10, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Flowing Streams: Scenes from Japanese Arts and Life," December 21, 2006–June 3, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Graceful Gestures: Two Decades of Collecting Japanese Art," 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Drama of Eyes and Hands: Sharaku's Portraits of Kabuki Actors," September 20, 2007–March 24, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "No Ordinary Mortals: The Human Figure in Japanese Art," 2007–2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Ukiyo-e Artists' Responses to Romantic Legends of Two Brothers: Narihira and Yukihira," March 27–June 8, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Animals, Birds, Insects, and Marine Life in Japanese Art," June 26–November 30, 2008.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Poetry and Travel in Japanese Art," December 18, 2008–May 31, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japanese Mandalas: Emanations and Avatars," June 18–November 30, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Landscapes in Japanese Art," June 24–November 7, 2010.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Beautiful Country: Yamato-e in Japanese Art," November 20, 2010–June 5, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of Japan Galleries," February 2–July 28, 2013.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japan: A History of Style," March 8, 2021–April 24, 2022.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art," April 8, 2023–July 14, 2024.
Tokyo Kokuritsu Bunkazai Kenkyūjo 東京国立文化財研究所, ed. Nyūyōku Metoroporitan Bijutsukan, kaiga, chōkoku ニューヨークメトロポリタン美術館，絵画・彫刻 (Painting and sculpture of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Kaigai shozai Nihon bijutsuhin chōsa hōkoku 海外所在日本美術品調查報告 (Catalogue of Japanese art in foreign collections) 1. Tokyo: Kobunkazai Kagaku Kenkyūkai, 1991, p. 141, cat. no. 437.
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