Stand-in Fugen

late 1700s–early 1800s

Medium

hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Dimensions

114.3 × 56.2 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-114509

Here, a woman dressed as a man replaces Fugen, a bodhisattva—a being among those considered enlightened in Buddhism—who symbolizes learning as a path to awakening and typically rides an elephant. The painting teaches the lesson of impermanence through the petals falling from the lotus flower the woman holds. It also alludes to the legend of Eguchi, a 12th-century courtesan who, following an encounter with a Buddhist monk-poet called Saigyō, revealed herself to be a manifestation of Fugen.