Flowing beautiful lines of the robe, the vaguely delineated crown and the halo of the figure create a profoundly sacred atmosphere. The slightly pensive gaze that seems to encourage the viewer to reflect and introspect deeply is characteristic of Kagaku’s Buddhist paintings of his latter years. This work was painted in 1936 when he was 48 years old. Kagaku’s chronic asthma had flared up again at the end of the previous year, with bouts lasting well into the beginning of the new year. He refrained from receiving any visitors, focusing on his recovery. In turn, by the spring Kagaku was able to send works to multiple exhibitions. According to the records, a work titled Willow Kannon was exhibited at the Japan Sosakuga Exhibition held in Dalian in July of the same year. Although it is not possible to tell if the present work corresponds to the one shown in Dalian, the possibility should be pointed out.

Together with the bodhisattva Seishi, Kannon is one of the attendants of Amida and is revered as a savior from suffering. He reveals himself in one of the shapes of the Six Kannon or Thirty-three Kannon. Willow Kannon is one of the Thirty-three Kannon. Holding a willow branch in his hand, he is healing people from disease and therefore often called the “Medicine King” (yakuo kannon; skt. bhaisajyaraja), a popular motif in Buddhist painting. In this painting, Kannon is depicted holding a willow branch in his right hand and a small water jar in his left. The branch appears as if swaying in a spring breeze. However, in many premodern interpretations Willow Kannon is shown with the branch inside a water jug by his side.

The major retrospective Murakami Kagaku Exhibition, held in 2005 at the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, gave a comprehensive overview of his work with more than 300 paintings. Notably, among those were about 80 with Buddhist themes, including Sho-Kannon, Semuiin Kannon (Kannon giving the mudra of fearlessness), Ishimuro Kannon, Nyoirin Kannon (Kannon of the Wish-fulfilling Jewel), Bodhisattva under a Tree, Kannon Meditating in the Lotus Position on a Rock, Crowned Kannon in the Lotus Seat—a range of themes overwhelmingly focused on Kannon that illustrated Kagaku’s comprehensive skills in Buddhist painting. This Willow Kannon was among the works that graced the exhibition halls back then.

Kagaku is also known for paintings of peonies in ink and depictions of Mount Rokko. The following quote makes the attitude behind his works more tangible:

    I am an artist who creates Buddhist paintings, but this does not mean that I constantly think about
    religion or speak of faith. I am often asked questions such as ‘Does it feel different painting the
    Buddha than painting the mountains of a landscape?’ This is an exceedingly naive question. There
    is no difference for me painting the one or the other. When it comes to honing and expressing the
    spirit of the artist, one is the same as the other. There is no way to differentiate. Buddha,
    bodhisattva, landscapes, they’re all one. (Murakami Kagaku, “Butsuga to sansui [Buddhist Painting
    and Landscape],” Garon, 1941)

Murakami Kagaku (nihonga painter; 1888–1939)
Nihonga painter, born in Osaka, Kagaku graduated from Kyoto Municipal Special School of Painting. Though successful at the Bunten, Kagaku doubted the merit of the selection criteria and eventually ceded his submissions. Together with Tsuchida Bakusen, Ono Chikkyo, Sakakibara Shiho, and Nonagase Banka, Kagaku founded Kokuga sosaku kyokai (Association for the Creation of National Painting) in 1918, an organization that would hold its own annual salons, the Kokuten. The controversy surrounding his Nude (1920) contributed to Kagaku distancing himself from the art world. Due to declining health, he moved to Ashiya near Kobe and led a recluse life, concentrating on Buddhist themes. Many of his works are deeply spiritual and meditative in tone.