Praying for Rain at Ryözengasaki in Kamakura (1271)

Catalog note / 解説

This print depicts Nichiren, the thirteenth-century monk who founded the Nichiren Sect. Nichiren Buddhism is generally noted for its focus on the Lotus Sutra and an attendant belief that all people have an innate Buddha nature and are therefore inherently capable of attaining enlightenment in their current form and present lifetime. Nichiren is depicted here praying for rain after a long drought in Kamakura. The priest is shown standing on a rocky ledge projecting out over the sea. In answer to his prayers, rain begins to fall in torrents. (from Pathway exhibition 1/29/08-)