The 12th Great Treasure Exhibition - "Mandala and Stars" - Exhibit List
August 1, 1991～September 10
Greetings
The 12th Koyasan Great Treasure House Exhibition will be held with the theme of "Mandala and Stars." In ancient India, Brahmins (priest class) studied five types of learning called the Five Myo: Shomyo, Kogyo, Iho, Inmei, and Naimei. Cosmic thought, astronomy, calendar science, etc. were studied in Kogyo. In other words, they found various gods in the countless stars in the vast sky, which are deeply connected to their aesthetic sense and faith.
In Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism, it is called Seishuku or Shukuyo, and was introduced to China long ago, where it was scientifically linked to Onmyodo, where all events are reflected in Shukuyo and appear in astrology, good and bad fortune, and fate can be predicted by the movement of the stars. It was introduced to Japan along with Buddhism, and became widespread from the mid-Heian period onwards. The two-volume Shukuyo Sutra translated by Fuku in the Tang Dynasty is a scripture that explains how to predict one's fate in life and know daily good and bad fortune based on the relationship between the seven days, the twelve zodiac signs, and the twenty-eight mansions, and there are also over a dozen other sutras, including the Shukuyo Ritual compiled by Ikko.
These Shukuyo are said to be the addresses of the gods or the gods themselves, and in the Garbha Mandala Saigaiin and the Hokuto Mandala, the 28 Shukuyo are depicted as bodhisattvas, the 12 zodiac signs, and the 9 Shukuyo as people or animals, and rituals such as Hoshi-gu and Hokuto-gu are performed.
This special exhibition will display many previously unpublished materials as well as items related to the stars, with the intention of allowing visitors to understand the relationship between mandalas and star-related phenomena, as well as the underlying belief in cosmic celestial bodies.
We hope that this will be an invitation for many people who climb the mountain to take a look and deepen their understanding.
In Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism, it is called Seishuku or Shukuyo, and was introduced to China long ago, where it was scientifically linked to Onmyodo, where all events are reflected in Shukuyo and appear in astrology, good and bad fortune, and fate can be predicted by the movement of the stars. It was introduced to Japan along with Buddhism, and became widespread from the mid-Heian period onwards. The two-volume Shukuyo Sutra translated by Fuku in the Tang Dynasty is a scripture that explains how to predict one's fate in life and know daily good and bad fortune based on the relationship between the seven days, the twelve zodiac signs, and the twenty-eight mansions, and there are also over a dozen other sutras, including the Shukuyo Ritual compiled by Ikko.
These Shukuyo are said to be the addresses of the gods or the gods themselves, and in the Garbha Mandala Saigaiin and the Hokuto Mandala, the 28 Shukuyo are depicted as bodhisattvas, the 12 zodiac signs, and the 9 Shukuyo as people or animals, and rituals such as Hoshi-gu and Hokuto-gu are performed.
This special exhibition will display many previously unpublished materials as well as items related to the stars, with the intention of allowing visitors to understand the relationship between mandalas and star-related phenomena, as well as the underlying belief in cosmic celestial bodies.
We hope that this will be an invitation for many people who climb the mountain to take a look and deepen their understanding.
Koyasan Reihokan Museum Director Koei Yamaguchi