Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This urn once held someone’s ashes. It is decorated with images of the Pure Land of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Life and Light. Heian-period devotees of Amida believed that if they called upon his name with sincerity at the moment of death, they would be born into his Pure Land, also known as the Western Paradise, and thereby escape the pattern of reincarnation. As shown on the lid of the urn, in the Pure Land, musical instruments float about playing by themselves. Its palatial structures and magnificent lotus pond are described on the body of the urn.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
136481
label
Cinerary Urn with Amida’s Pure Land (lid)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
136481
contentType
object
title
Cinerary Urn with Amida’s Pure Land (lid)
description
This urn once held someone’s ashes. It is decorated with images of the Pure Land of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Life and Light. Heian-period devotees of Amida believed that if they called upon his name with sincerity at the moment of death, they would be born into his Pure Land, also known as the Western Paradise, and thereby escape the pattern of reincarnation. As shown on the lid of the urn, in the Pure Land, musical instruments float about playing by themselves. Its palatial structures and magnificent lotus pond are described on the body of the urn.
date
800s-900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80030447
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter of mouth: 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.); Overall: 26.1 cm (10 1/4 in.)
cul
Japan, Heian period (794–1185)
accession
1960.55.b
Source extras
tec
gilt bronze
tombstone
Cinerary Urn with Amida’s Pure Land (lid) (阿弥陀浄土図骨壺（蓋）), 800s-900s. Japan, Heian period (794–1185). Gilt bronze; diameter of mouth: 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.); overall: 26.1 cm (10 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1960.55.b
titleInOriginalLanguage
阿弥陀浄土図骨壺（蓋）
collection
Japanese Art
citations
citation
Rosenfield, John M. <em>Japanese Arts of the Heian Period, 794-1185</em>. [New York]: Asia Society, 1967.
page_number
Reproduced: pp. 72 and 116, cat. no. 26
citation
<em>Masterpieces of Japanese Art; [Catalogue of the Exhibition] October 4 Through November 30, 1969, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts</em>. Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1969.
page_number
Mentioned: cat. no. 8
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:58:01.515000
sourceId
136481
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
gilt bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4e49895081684cbd