Past Exhibitions
- Rakan: Japanese Paintings of Arhats
- July 7, 2015 - August 9, 2015
Arhats, called rakan in Japanese, are ancient Indian high priests of Buddhism. Japanese paintings of such figures are usually depicted in a Chinese-influenced style, because the earliest arhat images were imported from China.
Arhats have been worshiped in Japan since the Heian period (794–1185), however their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence in Japan of Zen.
The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed these images to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India. Today, we enjoy these paintings instead for their exaggerated and exoticized depictions.
You might enjoy comparing these Japanese images with the Chinese paintings of arhats also on view at this time.
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