薬師三尊|Triad of the Medicine Master Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajya Buddha)
17th or 18th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink, color, metallic paint, and kirikane (cut gold) on silk
Dimensions
Image: 40 × 19 in. (101.6 × 48.3 cm) Overall with mounting: 68 × 23 7/8 in. (172.7 × 60.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 68 × 26 in. (172.7 × 66 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in honor of Barbara Brennan Ford, 2021
Accession Number
2021.396.3
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hanging scroll depicts the Triad of the Medicine Master Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajya Buddha), a central figure in Japanese Buddhism revered as the healer of physical and spiritual ailments. Flanked by his attendants, the Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu (Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas), Yakushi holds a medicine jar symbolizing compassion and restoration. Created by an unidentified artist during Japan's Edo period (1615–1868)—a time of relative peace and cultural flourishing—this artwork reflects the enduring popularity of Buddhist iconography in temple art and private devotion. Crafte...