Unknown Artist: Humorous Picture of Worldly Desires Man-Made Bodhisattva

Artist: Unknown Utagawa School Artist
Title: Picture of Enju-an’non-bosatsu（Enju-an’non-bosatsu no miei 延寿安穏菩薩の見酔) Date: ca 1860

Very funny image of a Bodhisattva (bosatsu) who has been invented to fulfill all of the worldly desires of a man in the Edo period. We see the top four arms hold weapons, including two swords and a gun, with the lower arms holding all of the earthly comforts that would satisfy his daily needs. 

The text explains this comical man-made Bosatsu statue, called Enju-an’non-bosatsu（Long-lived Bosatsu of Peace) 延寿安穏菩薩, Spiritual Figure at Peace of Mind Temple on Mt. All People Minasan Anshin-dera no reizô 見南山安心寺の例像. Actually meaning ‘An example figure of all people for them to feel at peace’. The bosatsu, which looks almost like a female sumo wrestler, stands in front of a Dharma Wheel in a boat that is loaded with straw rice bales  and a chest of some kind.　On her head she carries figure of a norikake-uma 乗りかけ馬, a horse which carries not only a man but also  some chests.

The text on the right goes on to describe attributes she carries in her 12 upper hands, such as tools and weapons, things providing daily comfort such as rice ball and rice scoop, traveler’s necessities, a straw curtain of a palanquin etc.

The left text mentions that this bosatsu is for safety on the sea, longevity in the family when they make earnest prayers, of business successes, etc. She will save you from all the troubles of life. The Japanese text is full of many plays on words and is apparently quite hilarious.

The balance between desiring worldly success and praying for the fulfillment of spiritual goals for practitioners of Buddhism is an age-old conundrum, and we can see here that most people can't help but ask for help in obtaining the practical comforts of daily life. The artist is just making plain what most folks are probably praying for when they visit a temple.

(With thanks to Michiko Sato-Grube for her translation and description assistance.)

Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condition. Light fold about 1 cm along left edge. A couple of ink smudges, verso

Dimensions: 36.5 x 25 cm (ôban)  Signed: Unsigned, as usual

SKU: ANO042