Illustrations of the Life and Deeds of the Grand Master of Mount Kōya, vol. 1

This handscroll illustrates various holy deeds and scenes from the life of the Buddhist monk Kūkai (also known by his posthumous name Kōbō Daishi, lit. “Grand Master Who Spread the Dharma”). Kūkai is credited as founder of the Shingon, or True Word, sect of tantric Buddhism, and late in life established a large Shingon temple complex at Mount Kōya in the rugged Kii Peninsula, south of the ancient capital of Nara. Numerous six-, ten-, and twelve-scroll sets of handscrolls illustrating the life of Kūkai are extant. This printed and hand-colored ten-scroll edition is based on painted models dating to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.