Portrait of Kobo Daishi

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Artist Unknown

Culture Japanese

Title Portrait of Kobo Daishi

Date Late 13th–early 14th century

Medium Ink and color on silk

Dimensions Framed: 76 1/2 x 37 3/4 in. (194.3 x 95.9 cm)
Sight: 47 3/4 x 29 7/8 in. (121.3 x 75.9 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 66.13

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About this Work

Despite its damaged condition, this portrait of the Buddhist monk Kōbō Daishi (also known as Kūkai) has great importance. It not only depicts one of Japan's charismatic and influential Buddhist monks but is also one of the few Zentsūji portraits (a particular iconographical type) in a Western collection. For Kūkai and his followers, this portrait is more than an idealized likeness of the master. It is his embodiment, not only as a man and revered teacher but also as the tangible symbol of the transmission of the Dharma—the teachings of the Buddha—from mind to mind, stretching in an unbroken line back to the historical Buddha.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Portrait of Kobo Daishi | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=66.13