Miracles performed by the bodhisattva Jizo (copy of a section of a handscroll)

This early narrative handscroll (emakimono) depicts miraculous stories of the compassionate bodhisattva Jizo (Kshitigarbha), a Buddhist deity worshipped as a savior of those condemned to hell. With the scroll, Freer acquired a final copy of the section, done in 1627 by Kano Tan'yu. The copy shows text that was later lost from the original scroll. Freer’s acquisition of such copies and preliminary drawings, in addition to finished works of art, expressed his commitment to their research value, which was unusual among collectors at the time. Freer purchased this handscroll in 1907 from the art dealer Nomura Yozo (1870–1965), whose firm in Yokohama, Japan, was known as Samurai Shokai. Nomura commissioned decorative handcrafts designed for export, and he also sold Asian antiquities.