423 - Aizen Myōō (愛染明王) kakejiku Aizen Myōō, also known as Rāgarāja in China, is a deity of both sacred and carnal passion, particularly venerated within Tibetan Buddhism and within the esoteric Japanese schools of Shingon and Tendai.

Aizen Myōō (愛染明王) kakejiku Aizen Myōō, also known as Rāgarāja in China, is a deity of both sacred and carnal passion, particularly venerated within Tibetan Buddhism and within the esoteric Japanese schools of Shingon and Tendai. Like Kama, the god of profane love, he is depicted with red skin, and carries in his six hands a bow and arrow, a vajra and a bell, a lotus and a sun. What makes this kakejiku unusual is that the painting and its mount form a single piece of silk — a technique known in Japanese as kakibyōsō (描表装, "painted mounting"). The "frame" has been hand painted as a trompe-l'œil, creating the illusion of the brocade silk conventionally used to mount a kakejiku — an aesthetic sleight of hand much prized in Japanese taste. Interestingly, although painting and mount occupy the same silk surface, the two are not executed in the same technique. The painting of Aizen Myōō is worked in the conventional manner, by brush, using natural pigments. The mount, however, is produced using pigments and a method of application more typically associated with silk dyeing. Edo period 18th c. Overall in good condition, with only minor wear consistent with age. L: 46.6cm W: 27.3cm / hanging scroll / silk Wooden box Japan