Nehan-zu or "Nirvana painting", representing the death of the Buddha, Japan, late Edo periodInk and polychrome on paper mounted on canvas as a kakemono. This painting illustrates one of the eight great episodes in the life of the historical Buddha, the one through which he attained the perfect peace of Nirvana. Shakyamuni is shown lying on his right side under sals (or sala), large South Asian trees, surrounded by fifty-two species of living beings, including his disciples (rakan), bodhisattvas (bosatsu), deities, devotees, animals, and his mother (Maya-bunin) depicted in Heaven among the gods. Dim. at sight : 130 x 90 cmAccidents . This type of painting, using a compositional model developed during the Heian era (794-1185), was notably displayed for the Nirvana (Nehan-e) festival, commemorating the death of the Buddha on the fifteenth day of the second month of each year. 江户末期，日本佛祖涅槃图