Japan: An early 14th century Japanese silk scroll painting titled ‘Bodhisattva Jizo’.

According to Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a person who has transcended the cycles of reincarnation—such as the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who founded the religion in northern India in the 6th century BCE.

Buddhism spread to China via the Silk Road by the 2nd century BCE, and from the Chinese mainland to Japan. Today there are four main branches of Buddhism in Japan: Amidist (Pure Land) schools, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism and Zen Buddhism.

The silk scroll painting depicts Jizo who is a Japanese saint—the protector of women, children and travellers.

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Pictures From History