拾遺古徳伝絵断簡|Illustrated Biography of Hōnen (Shūikotokūden-e)

The Illustrated Biography of Hōnen (Shūikotokūden-e) is dated to 1315, a date attested in the cataloguing of the work and consistent with the late Kamakura-period tradition of biographical scroll painting devoted to the Pure Land monk Hōnen. The scroll was produced in Japan as a handscroll executed in ink and color on paper, originally conceived as part of a larger illustrated hagiographic set before being separated into individual fragments. The surviving section was later remounted as a hanging scroll, a common adaptation for preserved fragments of narrative handscrolls.

No information on the original commissioner, patron, or workshop is documented in the available records. The work is currently held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified as a painting, though the intervening ownership chain is not detailed in the sources.

Created in 1315, the Illustrated Biography of Hōnen (Shūikotokūden-e) is a fragment of a handscroll attributed to an anonymous Japanese painter. As a surviving section mounted as a hanging scroll, the work depicts Buddhist themes, including monks and calligraphy, utilizing ink and color on paper. Currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the piece serves as a significant example of early 14th-century Japanese religious art.

While the specific identity of the artist remains unknown, the work provides insight into the visual culture surrounding Pure Land Buddhism during the Kamakura period. Its preservation and classification within major institutional collections highlight its enduring value as a historical document of Buddhist hagiography and narrative painting techniques from this era.

This piece is a fragment from a larger narrative scroll, originally depicting the life of the Buddhist teacher Hōnen. Rendered with ink and color on paper, it now exists as a hanging scroll, though it was once part of a continuous visual story. The surviving section offers a glimpse into scenes of monastic life, featuring robed figures engaged in study or instruction within natural settings.