Description
Nitten, the sun god, known as Surya in Sanskrit, appears as a bodhisattva in this painting. Originally an Indian god, Nitten was adopted as one of the twelve deities (Skt., <i>devas</i>) of Esoteric Buddhism and became a Buddhist guardian. This image was painted in 1127 (Daiji 2) for the ceremony, <i>Goshichinichi-no-mishiho</i> (austerities after the seventh day). It is held every New Year's at the Shingon-in Hall on the grounds of the Imperial Palace, in prayer for the peace of the nation. One of the unique characteristics of this painting is that the <i>deva</i> sits on a felt-covered pedestal. In other versions, Nitten rides a carriage drawn by three to seven white horses.
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
July 20, 2026