It is said that Nichiren, the founder of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, often went about his proselytizing in the face of disparagement and even violent attacks from passersby—a consequence of his own willingness to express criticisms of other Buddhist sects. The person at the center of the group on the left of the screen image is Nichiren. He is mocked by those around him. A little further away there is even one person who seems ready to draw his sword. Shimomura Kanzan was a 19-year-old student at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts when he made this painting. He copied and studied many classical picture scrolls, such as from the Ippen Shonin Eden (Ippen Shonin Illustrated Biography), and also adapted motifs from them. Compared to Kanzan’s later works, the young artist’s confident enthusiasm in tackling the depiction of a group of people is clear, although his style here is somewhat stiffer. With the carefully depicted and highly animated facial expressions and gestures, it is like you could almost hear the voices coming from the crowd.
(UCHIYAMA Junko)
It is said that Nichiren, the founder of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, often went about his proselytizing in the face of disparagement and even violent attacks from passersby—a consequence of his own willingness to express criticisms of other Buddhist sects. The person at the center of the group on the left of the screen image is Nichiren. He is mocked by those around him. A little further away there is even one person who seems ready to draw his sword. Shimomura Kanzan was a 19-year-old student at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts when he made this painting. He copied and studied many classical picture scrolls, such as from the Ippen Shonin Eden (Ippen Shonin Illustrated Biography), and also adapted motifs from them. Compared to Kanzan’s later works, the young artist’s confident enthusiasm in tackling the depiction of a group of people is clear, although his style here is somewhat stiffer. With the carefully depicted and highly animated facial expressions and gestures, it is like you could almost hear the voices coming from the crowd.
(UCHIYAMA Junko)