Vintage Japanese Wall Hanging Decor Scroll Kannon Painting Zen

Ichiyo Kannon/guanyin Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy with heart sutra. Painted with ink and pigments on silk. Signed and sealed. It is dated as painted in 1922.

It is based on a legend that is said the Kannon Bodhisattva saved Zen Master Dogen(1200-1253) while he was traveling to China for Zen Buddhism. On the way home, he was hit by a terrible storm, so he recited the kannon heart Sutra with all the heart, the Kannon Bodhisattva appeared on the lotus petal, and the wind and rain calmed down. Although it is a scene in which a storm is calmed by the miraculous power of Ichiyo Kannon Bodhisattva, it also seems to be a signpost to a clear, cloudless mental state. In the heart sutra, wisdom is a deep knowledge of the ways and phenomena of the world. Buddha believed that one could achieve liberation by understanding the causes of desires and attachments and eliminating them through the wisdom gained through meditation, which involves observing things as they are.

Okutani Shuseki (1871－1936) was born in Osaka. He studied painting under a prominent artist Mori Kansai. Shuseki was a leading artist in Kyoto art circle during Meiji – Taisho and early Showa period in Japan.

Some light marks are present on the painting itself, otherwise the painting is in very good antique/vintage condition. Some insignificant light marks, light crease, and traces of damage that has been restored are present on the scroll mounting, otherwise the piece is in very good antique/vintage condition. It is accompanied by a paulownia wood storage box.

Painting: W10 5/8” x H50 3/8” (W27cm x H128cm)
Scroll: W15 1/8”x H76 3/8” (W38.5cm x H194cm)