The Buddha Shakyamuni with the bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Manjushri

In this painting created for Buddhist worship, Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, sits on a throne. To the left and right are his two principal attendants: the bodhisattvas (enlightened beings) Manjushri (Japanese: Monju bosatsu), who rides a lion and holds a scepter, and Samatabhadra (Japanese: Fugen bosatsu), who rides a six-tusked elephant and holds a lotus. Two guardian attendants stand below the deities, whose divine status is signified by their circular emanations of light. A specialist has used kirigane, a Japanese technique employing fine patterns of cut gold leaf, to embellish the Buddha’s robes. This painting follows a standard composition for Buddhist icons, with the principal figure at center and subordinate figures positioned symmetrically and in smaller scale. Sculptures on Buddhist altars also were placed in symmetrical and hierarchical arrangements.