Suntory Museum of Art
About the Museum
Collection
Notable Works
Woman with Insomnia, from the Scroll of Diseases and Deformities, fragment

Notable Works

Paintings

Woman with Insomnia, from the Scroll of Diseases and Deformities, fragment

Important cultural property

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Number of components: 1
Format and materials: Ink on color
Dimensions (in cm): L. 26.0, W. 41.4
Date of production: Late Heian period 12th century

The picture scrolls of the Buddhist Six Realms of Rebirth (Rokudō-e) were produced in association with the retired emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-1192) and became part of the collection in the treasury at Rengeō-in Temple. Together with the Scroll of Buddhist Hell and the Scroll of Hungry Ghosts, the Scroll of Diseases and Deformities is considered to form part of the Rokudō-e; it is understood to express the suffering in the human realm, one of the six realms in the circle of transmigration. This picture was converted into a hanging scroll in the early 20th century. It depicts a woman suffering from insomnia, one of the diseases widely discussed in sutras, medical books, and Buddhist literature. It is a brilliant depiction of the loneliness of a woman, counting the minutes on her fingers and unable to sleep in the middle of the night.

Notable Works

Woman with Insomnia, from the Scroll of Diseases and Deformities, fragment

SUNTORY MUSEUM of ART