raigō-zu 来迎図

Painted images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, such as *Shaka 釈迦, *Yakushi 薬師, *Miroku 弥勒, *Kannon 観音, *Jizō 地蔵, but most notably, *Amida 阿弥陀 and his attendants, "coming in welcome" raigō 来迎. Where Amida is depicted, the image is often called Amida raigō-zu 阿弥陀来迎図. Followers of Pure Land Buddhism jōdokyō 浄土教 believe that upon death Amida and his retinue will descend from his Western Pure Land saihō gokuraku jōdo 西方極楽浄土 to earth to welcome and escort the devotee back to his Paradise. The doctrinal basis for this belief is to be found in the nineteen of Amida's 48 vows enumerated in the Muryōjukyō 無量寿経 (The Larger Sukhavatiyuha Sutra, or Sutra of Infinite Life). Amida, often flanked by Kannon and *Seishi 勢至 (an image known as Amida sanzon raigō 阿弥陀三尊来迎) and frequently accompanied by the rest of his heavenly retinue of bodhisattvas and heavenly beings Amida shōjū raigō 阿弥陀聖衆来迎, or sometimes limited to 25 bodhisattvas *nijūgo bosatsu 二十五菩薩 (known as Amida nijūgo bosatsu raigō 阿弥陀二十五菩薩来迎), is usually shown in painting as descending towards earth on a cloud that trails off on a diagonal. The emphatic jin'un-no-Amida 迅雲阿弥陀 (swift cloud Amida) or hayaraigō 早来迎 (fast raigō) type shows Amida hastily descending at an angle of 45 degrees, lending a degree of inevitability and immediacy to Amida's promised salvation. In the rapid descents Amida often stands and is turned three-quarters to the side, but in the more gentle descents, he maybe seated displaying the *raigō-in 来迎印 mudra and facing forward. A variant pose shows Amida and his attendants turned completely around and heading back to his Pure Land Paradise. This is called the kaeri raigō 帰り来迎 (returning raigō).
The earliest raigō theme in Japan appears to have been the paintings of the *kubon raigō 九品来迎 (also known as kubon ōjō 九品往生), or the Nine Levels of Birth, depicted in the bottom outside court of the *Taima mandara 当麻曼荼羅, also known as a *Kangyō hensō 観経変相 (Transformation Scene of the Kanmuryōjukyō 観無量寿経) and dating back to the late 8th century. Independent kubon raigō theme appeared on the wooden doors and panels of *amidadō 阿弥陀堂 in the early Heian period. The earliest extant example is in Byōdōin *Hōōdō 平等院鳳凰堂 (1053), Kyoto. Also instrumental in the development of individual raigō paintings was the Tendai 天台 monk Genshin 源信 (942-1047), whose Ōjōyōshū 往生要集 (Essentials of Salvation) served as a guide for the Amidist faithful, helping them in their final moments to ensure their rebirth in Amida's Pure Land. Genshin's vivid descriptions of the glories of Amida and his Pure Land inspired the creation of a different lineage of raigō paintings and a set of practices for the faithful as they approached death. For example, in terminal practice (see *rokuji myōgō 六字名号), the dying believer would chant the nenbutsu 念仏 (supplication to Amida), lie on his bed, place his head to the north and face west, where one or more sculptures of Amida or an Amida raigō painting would be strategically placed in his line of vision. A five colored cord, like that attached to the painting of the *Yamagoe no Amida 山越阿弥陀 (Amida Coming Over the Mountain) in the Konkaikōmyōji 金戒光明寺, Kyoto, would then be attached to the image or painting at one end and held by the devotee at the other, thereby establishing a physical link between the two at the moment of death.