Buddhist Figures and Their Attributes (Zōho shoshū Butsuzō zui 増補諸宗佛像図彙) : [volume 4]

Kino, Shūshin‏ · 1783 · Edo : Morie, Sashichi (Chōkoku-ji), 森江佐七(長谷寺) · 19 pictures

This is a 1783 Japanese woodblock-printed reference volume of Buddhist deity figures, compiled by Kino Shūshin and published in Edo by Morie Sashichi for devotees and artists. Its pages are grids of small standing and seated figures, each labelled with kana and kanji notes naming the deity and listing its attributes. A designer could draw on the compact, repeated framing and the clear iconographic silhouettes of weapons, halos, mounts and hand gestures, arranged for quick comparison.

Buddhist art and symbolism

Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · No known copyright restrictions · More from this library