Special/Planned Exhibits
Special exhibit: "Old Maps of Mount Koya and Local Treasures"
Period: December 12, 2005 - April 16, 2006
Period: December 12, 2005 - April 16, 2006
As part of the commemorative projects for the 1965th anniversary of the founding of Mount Koya in 1150, the surrounding area of Okunoin Mausoleum and the construction of the new Lantern Hall began in 1962. During this time, a variety of buried articles were excavated from around the mausoleum and Lantern Hall, including bronze Buddha statues, mirrors, old coins, ossuaries, lantern plates, stone Buddha statues, and stone towers. Among these, the discovery of the remains of the Buddhist nun's Buddhist sutra mound buried in the early 12th century was a major sensational event even at the time.
Since ancient times, Mount Koya has had a unique view of the Pure Land, with the belief in Kobo Daishi as its core, fusing the beliefs of Maitreya, Mikkyo, and Amida. During the Edo period, it was so deeply rooted in people's hearts as a representative of the belief in sacred places that it was called the "sumo bodaisho" (the ultimate bodhisattva of Japan).
People who admired Kobo Daishi headed for Koyasan Pure Land, and it is thought that they interred his hair and bones as a place of peace, and also copied sutras and buried them around the tomb in the hope of witnessing Maitreya Bodhisattva descend to earth to save people. Okunoin is a unique religious site where such things have been buried in accordance with the faith in Koyasan and the Pure Land of Koya, embodying the progress of history.
This special exhibit will feature particularly outstanding buried relics from the vast amount of artifacts excavated, including those related to Buddhist nuns' religious medicines, as well as a gilt bronze Bodhisattva statue and gilt bronze halo from the second half of the seventh century that were excavated before the 1962 discovery, and a gilt bronze base from the late Heian period.
Since ancient times, Mount Koya has had a unique view of the Pure Land, with the belief in Kobo Daishi as its core, fusing the beliefs of Maitreya, Mikkyo, and Amida. During the Edo period, it was so deeply rooted in people's hearts as a representative of the belief in sacred places that it was called the "sumo bodaisho" (the ultimate bodhisattva of Japan).
People who admired Kobo Daishi headed for Koyasan Pure Land, and it is thought that they interred his hair and bones as a place of peace, and also copied sutras and buried them around the tomb in the hope of witnessing Maitreya Bodhisattva descend to earth to save people. Okunoin is a unique religious site where such things have been buried in accordance with the faith in Koyasan and the Pure Land of Koya, embodying the progress of history.
This special exhibit will feature particularly outstanding buried relics from the vast amount of artifacts excavated, including those related to Buddhist nuns' religious medicines, as well as a gilt bronze Bodhisattva statue and gilt bronze halo from the second half of the seventh century that were excavated before the 1962 discovery, and a gilt bronze base from the late Heian period.