Image
Japanese
Medicine Buddha (Yakushi-Nyorai) and His Twelve Attendants, 1400s
Description
About
The Medicine Buddha, centered in this painting, has long been revered in Japan for his healing and protective powers. Once a bodhisattva—an enlightened individual who helps guide others to that understanding—this Buddha is often portrayed with a medicine jar in his hand. Flanked by two bodhisattvas, he is also surrounded by twelve attendants, each garbed in armor and expressively and animatedly depicted. Signifying the twelve vows that the Buddha made to heal the sick, the attendants serve as a reminder of his benevolence and miraculous powers. The Medicine Buddha was a central icon of worship in many Japanese temples.
Japan
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Use
The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Medicine Buddha (Yakushi-Nyorai) and His Twelve Attendants with the accession number of 40.176. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.
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