A Painting of Aizen at Chotokuji
The Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk), in Japanese 絹本著色愛染明王像 (Kenpon Chakushoku Aizen Myōō-zō), is a Kamakura-period Buddhist painting kept at Chotokuji Temple in Yokosuka, Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture, and designated an Important Cultural Property on 12 June 1975. It is a hanging scroll painted in colour on silk, 136 cm tall and 65.5 cm wide.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Kamakura period, while Sosa City places it between the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods. Chotokuji belongs to the Chizan branch of Shingon Buddhism, and its painting of Fugen Enmei was designated on the same day. The Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk) was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1975.
Who Aizen Myoo Is
Aizen Myoo is a wisdom king who shows that the passions of desire can be turned into the wish for enlightenment. He was the principal deity of rites for love, harmony and protection from misfortune, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that images of him were made in great numbers in every period.
Chiba Prefecture adds that rites centred on Aizen were performed for victory and safety above all in the Kamakura period, and that the name, which contains the character for love, drew devotion from women. He is usually shown with a red body standing for passion, a lion crown, a third eye in his forehead and six arms.
Paving, a Treasure Vase and a Great Halo
At the centre of a chequered stone floor stands an inverted lotus, and on it a flaming vase spilling over with jewels. Aizen sits on a lotus throne inside a great circular halo behind, wrathful and wearing his lion crown. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes this as the standard form: a six-armed, vermilion-bodied figure seated on a vase with the sun disc behind.
His body is a strong vermilion, and the flame-clouds trailing around the halo are painted in shaded tones of the same red. Auspicious flowers hang from the shoulders of the vase and wind around his legs, and jewels spill across the paving; nothing is left undecorated.
Both the Agency and Chiba Prefecture single out this density of ornament as the mark of the Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk), and both regard it as a serious Buddhist painting of the Kamakura to Nanbokucho taste, preserved in the Kanto region.
Visiting
According to Sosa City, Chotokuji's paintings are shown once a year, on a Sunday in late January. At other times they cannot be seen, so confirm the date in advance with the Sosa City Lifelong Learning Division (tel. 0479-67-1266). Follow the temple's instructions on photography on the day.
Chotokuji is at 1294 Yokosuka, Sosa. From Yokaichiba Station on the JR Sobu Main Line, take the city loop bus (Suka route) to Yokosuka and walk about 7 minutes; by car it is about 10 minutes south of the station.
Q&A
- When can I see the Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk)?
- Sosa City says Chotokuji's paintings are shown once a year, on a Sunday in late January. Confirm the date with the Sosa City Lifelong Learning Division.
- Where is the Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk) kept?
- At Chotokuji Temple, 1294 Yokosuka, Sosa City. Take the city loop bus from JR Yokaichiba Station to Yokosuka and walk about 7 minutes.
- How large is the Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk)?
- It is a hanging scroll 136 cm tall and 65.5 cm wide.
- When was the Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk) painted?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the Kamakura period; Sosa City places it between the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods.
- What is distinctive about the Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk)?
- A six-armed vermilion Aizen seated on a treasure vase over chequered paving, with dense ornament down to the flowers and scattered jewels.
Basic Information
| Name | Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk) (絹本著色愛染明王像) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1294 Yokosuka, Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture (Chotokuji Temple) |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (painting) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1975/6/12 (Showa 50) |
| Quantity | 1 hanging scroll |
| Dimensions | 136 cm by 65.5 cm |
| Owner | Chotokuji Temple |
| Public Access | Shown once a year on a Sunday in late January (month 1) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs database: Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/201/2446
- Chiba Prefecture: Aizen Myoo (Color on Silk)
- https://www.pref.chiba.lg.jp/kyouiku/bunkazai/bunkazai/n121-007.html
- Sosa City: Chotokuji Buddhist paintings
- https://www.city.sosa.lg.jp/page/page000920.html
Last verified: 2026.09.26