Mandala of Taima. The most complete depiction of the *Kangyō hensō 観経変相, or the transformation scene *hensō 変相 of the Kanmuryōjukyō 観無量寿経. It is a religious image usually hung to the left of the main altar in the sanctuary of a Jōdo 浄土 (Pure Land) temple. The pictorialization was based on a commentary on the Buddhist sutra by Shantao (Jp: *Zendō 善導, 613-81). The appellation arose because the original version in Japan has been handed down at Taimadera 当麻寺, Nara.
One of the Three Jōdo Mandalas *jōdo sanmandara 浄土三曼荼羅, which are revered by followers of Pure Land Buddhism. As with the *Amida jōdo hensō 阿弥陀浄土変相, the painting subject focuses on an Amida triad *Amida sanzon 阿弥陀三尊, Amida surrounded by bodhisattvas *bosatsu 菩薩. In the center background is an ornate palace representing Amida's Paradise gokuraku jōdo 極楽浄土. In addition, the left vertical panel or court shows the story of Prince Ajatasatru (Jp: Ajase Taishi 阿闍世太子) from the preface of the sutra. In the right vertical and lower horizontal courts, the story is continued with additional depictions of the Sixteen Contemplations jūrokukan 十六観 that *Shaka 釈迦 preached to the king's wife as a guide to visualize Amida's paradise. The Thirteen Contemplations are arranged on the right side, and the remaining three contemplations, commonly referred to as the Nine Stages of Rebirth *kubon raigō 九品来迎 or kubon ōjō 九品往生, are placed in the bottom court.
Scholars believe that the original Taima mandara was a large-scale embroidery imported from Tang China. It is believed that in 763 during the Nara period Chūjōhime 中将姫 had it woven with lotus threads gūshi 藕糸 based on a vision she had experienced. Thus the original woven work is sometimes also called the Gūshi mandara 藕糸曼荼羅. The miraculous weaving of the 4.5 meters square tsuzure-ori 綴織, usually translated as "figured (hand-woven) brocade," is said to have been accomplished by a nun who was believed to be a human incarnation of the bodhisattva *Kannon 観音, the main attendant to Amida. This 8th-century work is still preserved today at Taimadera in fragments, with a great many Kamakura period repairs.
From the Heian period, with the increasing popularity of Pure Land beliefs, the work grew ever more revered. In the Kamakura period, *Hōnen's 法然 (1133-1212) disciple Shōkū 証空 (1177-1247), founder of the Seizan 西山 branch of the Jōdo sect, actively propagated the teachings of the Taima mandala. Hence, at this time numerous commentaries on the iconography were written and many copies of various sizes were also painted. The most notable was the well-known work from 1217 preserved in Zenrinji 禅林寺, Kyoto which is regarded as the closest extant copy. Numerous later copies also exist. Moreover, the Taima mandara engi emaki 当麻曼荼羅縁起絵巻 (Illustrated Scrolls of the Legends of the Taima Mandala, 13th century; Kōmyōji 光明寺, Kanagawa Prefecture), with its vivid illustrations and text of the mandala's miraculous origins, played an important role in the diffusion of Taima mandala beliefs.