The Secret Five Bodhisattvas (Gohimitsu Bosatsu)
1200–1299
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and silver on silk
- Dimensions
- Image: 78.1 x 63.5 cm (30 3/4 x 25 in.); Overall: 163.2 x 83.8 cm (64 1/4 x 33 in.)
- Genre
- Painting
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)
About
The Secret Five were used in a Buddhist ritual to convert negative aspects of consciousness into positive ones. At the center is Kongōsatta, who represents the enlightened mind. He is surrounded by enlightened beings who convert the human frailties of desire, sensory pleasure, passion, and pride into constructive tools to use on the path to enlightenment.