The bodhisattva Samantabhadra, one of set of three

Surrounded by heavenly clouds, the bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Japanese: Fugen Bosatsu) sits atop a lotus pedestal mounted on the back of a six-tusked white elephant. A lavish headdress, gold earrings, and finely patterned vestments bedeck the white-faced deity. His divine elephant, led by a barefoot attendant, stands upon four smaller lotus pedestals and carries a lotus blossom in its trunk.

This is the left-hand painting of a set with Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha (Japanese: Shaka Nyorai), in the center. The right-hand painting depicts the bodhisattva Manjushri (Japanese: Monju Bosatsu), who rides a lion.

In Japanese Buddhism, the saintlike beings called bodhisattvas aid the faithful in attaining enlightenment and manifest on earth the Buddha's great teachings and virtues. Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva of benevolence, embodies the active teachings of the Buddha.