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- Special Exhibition International Symposium: Song and Yuan Buddhist Paintings in Japan, October 17, 2025
This international symposium commemorates the Special Exhibition Song and Yuan Buddhist Painting: Early Chinese Masterpieces in Japan.
The majority of Buddhist paintings from the Song, Yuan, and Goryeo dynasties brought to Japan during the medieval era have survived to the present. This exhibition offers a rare and valuable opportunity to view a diverse range of these precious masterpieces together.
This symposium provides an in-depth exploration of works featured in the exhibition, with each of the four sessions focusing on a single painting, followed by discussion. Session I will focus on Amituo (Amitābha) Buddha Triad by Puyue, examining representation in worship images. Session II will focus on Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara), Gibbons, and Crane by Muqi, considering the relationship between appreciation and religiosity in Zen ink painting. Session III will focus on Five Hundred Arhats by Lin Tinggui and Zhou Jichang, exploring questions of local religious practice and the production of Buddhist paintings. Session IV will focus on Transformation Tableau of the Descent of Mile (Maitreya) Buddha by Yi Seong, presenting a conservation report and related issues. Together with scholars from Japan and abroad, we aim to foster rich discussions that open up broader perspectives.
The symposium will be simultaneously interpreted in Japanese, English, and Chinese. Online participation via Zoom Webinar is also available.
*Advance registration (first-come, first-served) is required. If you wish to participate, please register via this page.
General Information
- Date and Time
- Friday, October 17, 2025
9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (doors open/reception begins at 9:00 a.m.; announcements at 9:20 a.m.)
*On Fridays, the museum has extended evening hours. After the symposium, in-person participants may view the Special Exhibition until 8:00 p.m.
- Location
- Heisei Chishinkan Lecture Theater
Online Zoom Webinar
- Program
- Program
- Capacity
- In-person: 150 (unassigned seating)
Online (zoom webinar): 1,000
- Participation Fee
- Free (in-person participation requires a same-day ticket for the Special Exhibition Song and Yuan Buddhist Painting: Early Chinese Masterpieces in Japan)
- Attending Online
(Zoom Webinar) -
- Registration period:
September 17–October 10, 2025, 11:59 p.m. (JST) *Registration will close once capacity is reached. - How to Apply:
- Fill in the required fields on the application form and submit it.
Application Form for Online Participation (external site: https://forms.office.com/r/S24CFKG4we)
*Incomplete applications cannot be accepted. *The personal information provided on the application will be used soley for registration purposes. - The participation URL will be sent at least three days prior to the event.
*The URL will be sent to the email address specified within your application. *If you have not yet received the email three days before the event, please contact us.
- Fill in the required fields on the application form and submit it.
- Registration period:
- Attending In-Person
-
- Registration Period:
September 17–October 3, 2025, 11:59 p.m. (JST) Registration has ended (full capacity). *Registration will close once capacity is reached. - How to Apply:
Fill in the required fields on the application form and submit it.
Application Form for In-Person Participation (external site) Registration has ended (full capacity).
*Only one person may apply per submission. Duplicate applications will be considered invalid. *Incomplete applications cannot be accepted. *Submission of the form constitutes confirmation of registration. Participants will not receive a confirmation email. *The personal information provided on the application will be used soley for registration purposes. - Notes:
*On the day of the event, the name of participants as recorded on the application form will be checked at the entrance. *If you wish to cancel your application after it has been submitted, please contact us. *There is not a waiting list. Same-day tickets are not available.
- Registration Period:
- Organized by
- Kyoto National Museum
- With Support From
- Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(A)
Comprehensive Research on Buddhist Objects of Korean Origin from the Perspective of Object Records: Sculpture, Painting, and Sutra Transcriptions (Research Project no. 24H00080, Project Leader: IDE Seinosuke)
- Inquiries
- Kyoto National Museum
Department of Research and International Collaboration
TEL: +81(0)75-531-7518
E-mail : research_kyohaku++nich.go.jp (replace ++ with @)
*Multilingual assistance available in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.
Program
9:00 a.m. | Opening of the Museum and Start of Reception | |
9:20 a.m. | Administrative Announcements | |
9:30 a.m.–9:35 a.m. | Greetings | MATSUMOTO Nobuyuki (Director, Kyoto National Museum) |
9:35 a.m.–9:45 a.m. | Opening Remarks | IDE Seinosuke (Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University) |
9:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m. | Session I Amituo (Amitābha) Buddha Triad by Puyue National Treasure, Shōjōke-in Temple, Kyoto |
Speaker: TSUKAMOTO Maromitsu (Professor, The University of Tokyo) Commentary: MASUKI Ryūsuke (Associate Professor, The University of Tokyo) NISHITANI Isao (Associate Professor, Hanazono University) |
10:45 a.m.–11:45 a.m. | Session II Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara), Gibbons, and Crane by Muqi National Treasure, Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto |
Speaker: Yukio LIPPIT (Professor, Harvard University) Commentary: ITAKURA Masaaki (Professor, The University of Tokyo) MORI Michihiko (Curator, Kyoto National Museum) |
11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Break | |
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. | Morning Discussion | |
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. | Lunch Break and Exhibition Viewing | |
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. | Session III Five Hundred Arhats by Lin Tinggui and Zhou Jichang Important Cultural Property, Daitoku-ji Temple, Kyoto |
Speaker: IDE Seinosuke (Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University) Commentary: CHEN Yunru (Professor, National Taiwan University) ŌHARA Yoshitoyo (Chair of the Department of Education, Kyoto National Museum) |
3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. | Session IV Transformation Tableau of the Descent of Mile (Maitreya) Buddha by Yi Seong Important Cultural Property, Myōman-ji Temple, Kyoto |
Speaker 1: MORIHASHI Natsumi (Associate Curator, Kyoto National Museum) Speaker 2: LEE Seunghye (Assistant Professor, Dong-A University) Speaker 3: KIM Youn-mi (Professor, Ewha Womans University) |
4:00 p.m.–4:10 p.m. | Break | |
4:10 p.m.–5:25 p.m. | Afternoon Discussion and General Discussion | |
5:25 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks | ONO Yoshihiro (Chief Curator, Kyoto National Museum) |