Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum

Among the most prized utensils used in the practice of tea (chanoyu) are ceramic tea containers known as a chaire (pronounced “cha-ee-reh”), used to hold powdered matcha. While these modest jar-shaped vessels are small in scale, they have a large presence at tea gatherings, ranking higher than fresh water containers (mizusashi) or even tea bowls (chawan). Some chaire are made in Japan (wamono), but even more prized are imported Chinese wares known as karamono. When appreciating tea containers, connoisseurs consider the location of the kiln, the form of the vessel, and the application of glazes. The silk drawstring pouches (shifuku) custom made for each container, the ivory lids, the inscriptions, and the accompanying trays are also distinguishing features. Which of the tea containers in this exhibition most appeals to you?

Shouldered (Katatsuki) Tea Container, Named "Zangetsu"(Lingering Moon)
China, Southern Song–Yuan dynasty, 13th–14th c.
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Ceramics are prized not only for their beauty but also for their uses as dishes and in other quotidian functions. East Asian ceramics have a particularly wide range of patterns, forms, colors, and applications. They can incorporate vastly different materials and techniques, resulting in wares as diverse as earthenware or porcelain, with distinguishing characteristics deriving from the types of clay, the glazes, the décor, and the firing techniques employed at the site of their production. This gallery features a variety of ceramics from Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, pieces exemplifying the distinctive qualities and assets of each kiln site.

The origins of the unglazed earthenware funerary objects known as haniwa (literally, “clay cylinders”) can be traced to the later part of the Yayoi period, circa the first through third century CE, when jars and their accompanying large-scale stands were left in and around burial mounds. In the latter half of the third century, jar-shaped, cylindrical, and trumpet-shaped haniwa began to appear. By the fourth century, haniwa were being made in the form of houses, sunshades, armor, and other weapons. From the fifth century, figures of horses and female shamans (miko) preceded the appearance of a vast array of humans and animals.
The forms of haniwa gradually diversified over time, and they came to represent a variety of tools and scenes thought to relate to burial rituals. This exhibition includes haniwa depicting not only humans and animals, but also a range of other forms.

Shield-Bearing Haniwa
Excavated in Tokushima
Kyoto National Museum

This exhibition explores the history of Japan through introducing a variety of archaeological relics. Many of these artifacts were excavated from ancient ruins. Some are special tools used in rituals and ceremonies, while others are objects used by people in their daily lives. Through exploring Japanese archaeology, we can gain a sense of the lives and experiences of people of the past.

Nearly 850 years ago, the priest Hōnen (1133–1212) founded Japan’s Pure Land sect of Buddhism, Jōdo Shū, in 1175. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, this year the Kyoto National Museum will host Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism, a special exhibition tracing the history of the Pure Land sect, from October 8 to December 1. As a prelude to the upcoming exhibition, this gallery introduces a selection of rarely seen handscrolls from the Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen (Hōnen Shōnin e-den). This National Treasure set, which belongs to the Jōdo Shū head temple of Chion-in, depicts Hōnen’s life in detail across forty-eight volumes. We invite you to attend the upcoming special exhibition to view even more scrolls from this extraordinary work.

National Treasure
Illustrated Biography of Master Hōnen, Vol. 38
Chion-in Temple, Kyoto

Arhats (J: rakan) are sage-like high priests of Buddhism who lived in ancient India. Japan’s depictions of arhats, which were based on Chinese models, have been venerated since the Heian period (794–1185). Their popularity increased dramatically in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) along with the growing influence of Zen Buddhism.
In the pre-modern era, depictions of arhats often diverged from their historical inspirations. The early Chinese and Japanese painters of arhats and their audiences must have believed them to resemble actual Buddhist elders in ancient India; however, to modern viewers these strange and exoticized figures may seem unrealistic, even jarring. The gap between the actual historical sages and their imaginative portrayals in painting makes arhats a truly fascinating subject of East Asian Buddhist art.

Important Cultural Property
Sixteen Arhats
Dairen-ji Temple, Shiga

At the end of the twelfth century, the shogunate established Kamakura as the military capital of Japan. Consequently, with the support of the warrior elite Zen Buddhism and ink painting began to flourish not only in Kyoto, but also in the broader Kanto region (modern-day Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures) encompassing Kamakura. Although the shogunate relocated to Kyoto during the Muromachi period (1392–1573), Kamakura’s rich culture was sustained by warrior families and temples across the Kanto region. Ink paintings from Kanto, which constitute a considerable percentage of the medieval ink paintings that have survived to the present, have exhibited a distinct regional style throughout their long history. Dynamic artists such as Shōkei, Shikibu Terutada, and Sesson flourished under the patronage of powerful daimyo lords from the Uesugi, Satake, and Later Hōjō clans, ushering in a golden age of Japanese medieval ink painting during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

Bird and Flowers
By Kenkō Shōkei
Kyoto National Museum

The illustrious Kano school of painting played a central and dominating role within the art world through the end of the Edo period (1615–1868). Headed by Kano Tan’yū (1602–1674), official painter to the shogunate, the Kano school’s Edo branch thrived in present-day Tokyo under the auspices of the military government. In contrast, the Kyoto Kano school was formed by the lineage of Kano painters who remained in Kyoto rather than serving the shogunate.
Kano Sansetsu (1589–1651) was from the second generation of Kyoto Kano school painters. Born in Hizen (modern-day Nagasaki), Sansetsu moved to Osaka and studied under Kano Sanraku (1559–1635), eventually becoming both his son-in-law and heir. Sansetsu’s works are distinguished by their intelligent and clear-cut compositions, along with an occasionally eccentric manner of depicting forms. Known for his scholarly character, Sansetsu’s draft of The History of Painting in This Realm (Honchō gashi) is an essential resource as the earliest true treatise on the subject.

Important Cultural Property
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion
By Kano Sansetsu
Zuishin-in Temple, Kyoto

The term raihaku Shinjin refers to Chinese artists and literary figures from Qing who came to Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods, spanning the late seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. Adept at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, these artists left their mark on the culture of Japan. Many traveled to Nagasaki, which served as a hub for international exchange and diplomacy during an isolationist era. There, they engaged with local Japanese literati and passed on painting techniques and other knowledge. In particular, Shen Quan was greatly influential within the Edo painting world, while Yi Hai, Zhang Qiugu, Fei Hanyuan, and Jiang Jiapu shaped the development of Japanese literati painting (bunjinga). This exhibition presents an array of works by celebrated Qing-dynasty artists who traveled to Japan, tracing Sino-Japanese relations throughout early modern history.

Wind in Pines Among Myriad Valleys
By Xu Rong (Yuting)
Kyoto National Museum

The subjects represented within Japanese Buddhist sculptures can be broadly divided into buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and devas. Buddhas (tathāgatas) are beings who have attained enlightenment, such as the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of Infinite Light Amida (Amitābha), and the Medicine Buddha Yakushi (Bhaisajyaguru). As buddhas have taken monastic vows, they are generally portrayed wearing a single garment representing a clerical robe.
Bodhisattvas are those on the path to attaining enlightenment. Instead of resembling monks, their appearances are more decorative, referencing ancient Indian royalty. Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) and Jizō (Kṣitigarbha) number among the many different bodhisattvas. Representations of Kannon alone include the Eleven-Headed Kannon, Thousand-Armed Kannon, Wish-Fulfilling Kannon, and many more, as Kannon is believed to manifest into various forms in order to adapt to different kinds of suffering and save all living beings. This exhibition explores the many representations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Yakushi (Bhaiṣajyaguru) Buddha
Chōgen-ji Temple, Kyoto

This fifteenth-century Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing has long been renowned for its refined coloration and classical appeal, as evidenced by its inclusion in the book of celebrated artworks, Shūko jisshū (Collected Antiquities in Ten Categories), published in the year 1800 by the daimyo connoisseur Matsudaira Sadanobu. Armor is inherently a composite art form, comprising not only metal fittings, but also silk braided cords, woven silk textiles, lacquer, and leather. As some of these organic materials exhibited pronounced signs of degradation, the conservation of this armor was essential for it to be passed on to future generations. This special viewing commemorates the completion of its monumental conservation, made possible through the generous support of the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.

Important Cultural Property
Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing
Kyoto National Museum

Museums are tasked with the important duty of passing down cultural properties to future generations. Conservation, despite often going unnoticed, is crucial to carrying out this mission.
This exhibition highlights three fields of metalwork. Sword polishing allows us to explore forged works, while incense burners and lanterns provide insight into the scientific approaches and traditional techniques related to conserving cast metal objects. Finally, we trace the conservation of armor occurring from the Edo period (1615–1868) through modern times in tandem with the special viewing of the Important Cultural Property Dōmaru Armor with Blue Lacing. By examining these different realms of metalwork, this exhibition introduces the various materials and techniques used in cutting-edge conservation of cultural properties.

Important Cultural Property
Haramaki Armor
Amanosan Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Whether for offerings to gods and buddhas, ceremonial meals, festive banquets, or picnics at flower viewings and festivals, dishes and food containers have always been selected with great care. In East Asia, distinctly durable tableware can be produced using the natural material of lacquer, which makes even porous wood resistant to acid, alkali, alcohol, and heat. Lacquerware can be made in accordance with specific seasons or occasions: cinnabar lacquer has a vivid red color that contrasts with the lush greens of the natural world, while fragments of gleaming mother of pearl or intricate designs rendered in gold and silver powders can be used to ornament an array of vessels. As you make your way through the exhibition, try to imagine the kinds of occasions on which such prized tableware would have been used, and savor the beauty of these distinctive dishes.

Stem Table
Inscription: Miwa Shrine stem table / One of thirteen pieces
Kyoto National Museum