Painting of Kannon

was a powerful scroll that had an image of the goddess Kannon. It contained the spirit of a salamander yōkai.

History
The spirit of the salamander that ruled the marshlands was sealed inside a scroll by many monks and put it into a state of dormancy.

Years later, Naraku's jaki suddenly awoke the salamander's spirit. It used its eggs to possess the women who prayed at its shrine after they lost their loved ones to war. It would have them deliver any man that passed by their village so that it could kill them and take their skin to restore its body after its own skin was remove long ago.

The salamander's spirit left the shrine with the scroll after it battled against Miroku. It dove into the river where its body was buried and managed to reunite with it after the women it possessed moved the scroll toward it while they were underwater.

Manga vs. Anime

 * In the manga, the painting of Kannon is the only thing that seals that salamander's soul. In the anime, sacred sutras are also placed on the painting to seal the salamander.