Depiction of the Buddha's Nirvāņa

Butsujō Jisen (1798-1870) was a Zen monk of the Sōtō sect of Zen in the late Edo period and early Meiji era. He was also known as Ryūkadōjin. In Tenpō 6 (1835) he became a resident priest at Chōtokuji Temple in Nagato Province, and in Kaei 1 (1848) he moved to Jiunji Temple and Eisenji Temple in Iwami Province. On the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the death of Dōgen, he was in charge of teaching trainee monks and promoting the Buddhist memorial service. In Keiō 3 (1867), he served as the resident priest of Sagami Saijōji Temple.

This is a Nirvana painting depicting the mausoleum of Śākyamuni Buddha. Butsujō excelled in Taoist and Buddhist painting, and painted in a wide range of styles from light and caricatural style to detailed. This is a rare example of a large, colorful painting by a Zen monk of the late Edo period. It is signed Butsujō at the upper left of the painting, and is dated Ansei 5 (1858). From the inscription on the box, it is known that this painting of Nirvana came from Kakugenan in Hazumi Hongo, Iwami Province (Gōtsu City, Shimane Prefecture). It is attributed to the fact that Butsujō left his footprints in temples in the Iwami region.