Seated Chijang Posal (Chinese, Dizang Pusa; Sanskrit, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha) Flanked by the Ten Kings of Hell, Monk Tomyŏng (Chinese, Daoming), and Three Officials

This painting depicts Chijang Posal (Chinese, Dizang Pusa; Sanskrit, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha) seated at the center of the composition and surrounded by the Ten Kings of Hell, Monk Tomyŏng (Chinese, Daoming), and three officials. Chijang Posal is the Buddhist bodhisattva who guides the souls of deceased individuals to the next world; followers of Mahayana Buddhism pray to Chijang Posal to gain higher status in their next rebirth. In the Mahayana Buddhism of China, Korea, and Japan, the Ten Kings of Hell--which are unknown in the early Buddhism of India and the Himalayas and seem to have been introduced into Mahayana Buddhism in China in the eighth or ninth century--report to Chijang Posal. In their earliest representations (i.e., those of the ninth century, mostly in scrolls and wall paintings from Dunhuang), the Ten Kings of Hell are shown together with Chijang Posal; by the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Chijang Posal tended to be represented separately from the Ten Kings who increasingly were shown in sets of ten paintings (with one King per painting), whether in China, Korea, or Japan. By the eighteenth century, however, Korean Buddhist paintings typically again portray the Ten Kings together with Chijang Posal, as seen in this painting. In this painting, Chijang Posal is seated at the center of the composition. Six of the Ten Kings appear at the bottom of the composition, standing in a row in front of Chijang Posal; the remaining four Kings appear in the middle row of figures, two standing on each side of Chijang Posal. Monk Tomyŏng and the three officials comprise the top row of figures, two standing on each side of Chijang Posal. Monk Tomyŏng is the youthful figure with shaven pate and monk's robes immediately to Chijang Posal's proper right. Following the hierarchical tenets of Buddhist iconography, Chijang Posal is shown larger than the other figures. Unlike other bodhisattvas, who are depicted in the trappings of an early Indian prince--with long hair, brocaded dhoti and scarves, and elaborate jewelry including earrings, bracelets, armlets, and anklets--Chijang Posal is traditionally presented in the guise of a Buddhist monk and thus wears monk's robes and has a shaven pate. In this portrayal he also has a ribbon(?) attached to each side of his head, one behind each ear. The Kings of Hell wear simple, Chinese-style crowns and the robes of Chinese officials (with the belts conventionally associated with those robes); several of the kings also hold scepters that symbolize their rank. The official at the far left end (viewer's left) of the top row of figures wears a military commander's hat and holds a placard on a pole, while the official at the far right end wears a civil official's hat and holds a scroll, the scroll symbolizing the list of good and bad deeds of the deceased that Chijang Posal and the Ten Kings of Hell will review in deciding the status that the deceased will experience in his/her next rebirth. Cursorily done, this work is not a finished painting but a sketch, preliminary drawing, or underdrawing for a finished painting. Because it is not (and was not intended to be) a finished work, there are many small changes in the composition, with several sets of brushstrokes indicating a change in a figure's facial features, in the position of another figure's hands, etc. In addition, the palette is extremely limited, whereas finished Buddhist paintings tend to be highly colorful.