Description
This narrative handscroll deals with the theme of salvation from the perpetual state of hunger and thirst suffered in the realm of the hungry ghost (gaki), which is among the six realms of rebirth (rokudo). The scroll shows how offering water to the ancestral grave is a form of repose to the hungry ghosts. Also depicted are scenes of how Maudgalyayana (Mokuren), one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, saved his mother from this realm by starting the ullambana (obon) ceremony of making oblations to the dead as well as scenes of how to hold memorial services for the deceased.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
April 6, 2026