Arhat, late 17th century
Shōun Genkei 松雲元慶 (1648-1710)
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868)
Lacquered wood with traces of gilding
One of a set of five hundred, from the Tokyo temple Gohyaku Rakanji, 92.7 x 78.7 x 71.1 cm
Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Whitcomb, 44.75
The temple Gohyaku Rakanji (the Temple of the Five Hundred Arhats) in modern Tokyo has the most celebrated set of more than five hundred vivid figures of arhats in gilt wood –536 in all—recreating scenes from the Lotus Sutra. Their popularity fueled subsequent widespread enthusiasm for arhats. Initially inspired by Fan Daosheng’s famous set at Manpukuji, the sculptures blend elements from diverse Chinese and Japanese Buddhist sculptural styles and are said to be modeled after specific individuals. Between 1868 and 1872, a time of widespread persecution of Buddhism, many of the statues sustained serious damage. Only 305 remain at the temple today in various states of preservation, and eleven have been identified in foreign collections in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.
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