In this relatively small composition, Matsubara paints a radiant, golden Venus, set between undulating, frothy waves. Also called the “morning star,” in Buddhist cosmology Venus is associated with the bodhisattva Akasagarbha (known in Japanese as Kokūzō). Matsubara’s “Venus” evokes the spiritual awakening of the monk Kūkai (774-835), who retreated to a remote water side cave where he repeatedly recited the Akasagarbha Sutra as he worked towards spiritual awakening.