The 9th Great Treasure Exhibition - "Commemorating the Completion of the Restoration of the Peacock Statue" Exhibit List
August 1, 1988～August 31
On the 9th Koyasan Great Treasure Exhibition
It is truly gratifying that the "Koyasan Sacred Treasures Exhibition" has been held nine times and is enhancing the reputation of Koyasan as a treasure trove of cultural assets. The exhibition has introduced the history, philosophy, and faith of Koyasan through its cultural assets.
Breaking away from the tradition of the "Koyasan Sacred Treasures Exhibition," the exhibition has been renamed the "Koyasan Great Treasure House Exhibition" and will more widely introduce the rich content, wide variety, and high cultural value of Koyasan's cultural assets.
This year in particular, treasures from temples such as Ryukoin, Seinanin, Saimuroin, Shakamonin, Ryusenin, Daimyoin, and Balyōin, which have all been newly entrusted to the Reihokan Museum, will be exhibited together in one place for viewing by those with a deep understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist art.
In particular, Ryukoin is the oldest temple protected by its founder, Kobo Daishi, and his successor, Shinzen Daitoku, who founded Mount Koya, and is known for its many national treasures and important cultural properties.
Breaking away from the tradition of the "Koyasan Sacred Treasures Exhibition," the exhibition has been renamed the "Koyasan Great Treasure House Exhibition" and will more widely introduce the rich content, wide variety, and high cultural value of Koyasan's cultural assets.
This year in particular, treasures from temples such as Ryukoin, Seinanin, Saimuroin, Shakamonin, Ryusenin, Daimyoin, and Balyōin, which have all been newly entrusted to the Reihokan Museum, will be exhibited together in one place for viewing by those with a deep understanding of Buddhism and Buddhist art.
In particular, Ryukoin is the oldest temple protected by its founder, Kobo Daishi, and his successor, Shinzen Daitoku, who founded Mount Koya, and is known for its many national treasures and important cultural properties.
We are extremely grateful to other temples for supporting the aims of the Koyasan Cultural Property Preservation Association in the spirit of protecting the cultural assets of Mount Koya and for their cooperation with the Reihokan Museum.
I believe that it is our contemporary responsibility to ensure that the cultural assets of Mount Koya are passed down to future generations thousands or even tens of thousands of years in the spirit of "Permanent Law" and "Preservation of Sacred Treasures." With this, I would like to conclude my opening remarks for the 9th Mount Koya Great Treasure Exhibition.
Director of Koyasan Reihokan Museum Tomonori Yamamoto
Preface
The most notable features of the 9th Koyasan Great Treasure House Exhibition are listed below.
The four standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings that stand majestically in the four corners of the first room are fortunately well preserved, and it is gratifying to see that all four are in perfect condition. Kaikei, the artist, is known as a creator of a unique style of gentle Buddhist statues, but it should also be noted that he created a noteworthy style in the more imposing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. This, along with the exceptional seated statue of Peacock Myoo that adorns the front of the second room, is an invaluable resource for learning about the style of Kaikei, who had a deep connection with Mount Koya.
The seated statue of Dainichi Nyorai at Seinan-in Temple and the standing statue of Acala at Shakamon-in Temple, which are located at the front of the first room, are excellent works of esoteric Buddhism suitable for Mount Koya. Each of the other works has its own unique character as a sacred mountain for esoteric Buddhism and as a mountain where Pure Land Buddhism was popular.
The second room mainly consists of paintings representing esoteric Buddhist art.
The four standing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings that stand majestically in the four corners of the first room are fortunately well preserved, and it is gratifying to see that all four are in perfect condition. Kaikei, the artist, is known as a creator of a unique style of gentle Buddhist statues, but it should also be noted that he created a noteworthy style in the more imposing statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. This, along with the exceptional seated statue of Peacock Myoo that adorns the front of the second room, is an invaluable resource for learning about the style of Kaikei, who had a deep connection with Mount Koya.
The seated statue of Dainichi Nyorai at Seinan-in Temple and the standing statue of Acala at Shakamon-in Temple, which are located at the front of the first room, are excellent works of esoteric Buddhism suitable for Mount Koya. Each of the other works has its own unique character as a sacred mountain for esoteric Buddhism and as a mountain where Pure Land Buddhism was popular.
The second room mainly consists of paintings representing esoteric Buddhist art.
The statue of Kobo Daishi is a sacred statue of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Mount Koya and Esoteric Shingon Buddhism, and the father of Japanese culture. The statues of Nyu and Kariba Myojin, who have been revered since the time of Daishi as the land gods of Mount Koya and the guardian deities of Koya, are particularly important cultural assets of Mount Koya.
The One-Character Golden Wheel Mandala and the Red Glass Amida are sacred statues in Esoteric Buddhism.
The Densenchuyogen Kannon statue is not an ordinary Kannon statue, but a statue with a unique facial expression like an angry statue, and the Kumano Mandala is valuable as a product of the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist philosophy. Benzaiten is a Buddhist painting drawn using the ink painting technique.
The items in the third room are cultural assets from the Tang Dynasty in China, and as artworks brought over from the Silk Road there are few similar examples, so many of them are highly valuable.
The Kongobu-ji Temple Buddha niches are masterpieces from the Tang Dynasty that were brought over by Kobo Daishi, and although the origins of the Fumon-in Buddha niches are unclear, they are masterpieces that are no less than the former. I have traveled around Europe and the United States to look at similar items that remain around the world, and have introduced the majority of them, but these two pieces at Mount Koya are the most outstanding pieces in the world. Please enjoy them.
The folding screen image is a rare and unprecedented piece from China during the Tang Dynasty, featuring an arrangement of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the Four Heavenly Kings on a folding screen.
The items in the third room are cultural assets from the Tang Dynasty in China, and as artworks brought over from the Silk Road there are few similar examples, so many of them are highly valuable.
The Kongobu-ji Temple Buddha niches are masterpieces from the Tang Dynasty that were brought over by Kobo Daishi, and although the origins of the Fumon-in Buddha niches are unclear, they are masterpieces that are no less than the former. I have traveled around Europe and the United States to look at similar items that remain around the world, and have introduced the majority of them, but these two pieces at Mount Koya are the most outstanding pieces in the world. Please enjoy them.
The folding screen image is a rare and unprecedented piece from China during the Tang Dynasty, featuring an arrangement of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the Four Heavenly Kings on a folding screen.
The reliefs of nine deities are ancient works made in Japan as imitation of such items brought over from China.
The interior of the Seishin-e eight-leaf lacquerware shrine is a wood-carved Taizokai Mandala. It was made in China during the Tang dynasty.
The wooden carved Mandala of Both Realms is similar to a modern mandala, in which the mandalas of the Garbha Realm and Vajrayana Realm are thinly carved onto two pieces of wood.
The wooden carved Mandala of Both Realms is similar to a modern mandala, in which the mandalas of the Garbha Realm and Vajrayana Realm are thinly carved onto two pieces of wood.
The above six wood carvings were created during the heyday or late Tang dynasty, and it is rare to find all of them in a set.
It is an extremely valuable product of the Tang Dynasty, a time when culture transmitted along the Silk Road was in full swing.
Many of the calligraphy works housed in Ryukoin Temple are particularly valuable.
Many of the calligraphy works housed in Ryukoin Temple are particularly valuable.
Among them, the ten volumes of the Purple Paper Golden Light Sutra, the Large-print Lotus Sutra, and the Fine-print Golden Light Sutra are all national treasures.
Many of the other copies of sutras date back to the Nara period, and it is rare to have gathered so many ancient copies of sutras, so please take the time to examine them.
Many of the other copies of sutras date back to the Nara period, and it is rare to have gathered so many ancient copies of sutras, so please take the time to examine them.