19. Saigoku Pilgrimage Scroll

19. Saigoku Pilgrimage Scroll

Japan, 19th century; ink stamps on paper mounted on silk; mounted prints: 36 x 14 5/8 in., overall including brocade and knobs: 58 1/2 x 22 3/4 in.; Private Collection.

An inscription on the back of this scroll tells its history and attests to the filial piety of Taro, son of the pilgrim who collected all the examples of ofuda seen on the left. The father had intended to assemble the icons into a scroll format, but—as the inscription poignantly tells us—“how could we imagine he would pass away from a sudden illness?”