Series Japanese Natural History : Sekiten-Festival to Honor Confucius

Sekiten is a ceremony to honor Confucius and his students, and it was held at schools in ancient China. In Japan, it was first held in 701, during the reign of Emperor Monmu, at Daigakuryo, the premier school to train government officials. Practice of Sekiten gradually declined from the late Heian period (794-1192), but was revived in the Edo period (1603-1868). It was held twice annually in spring and autumn at the Yushima Confucian shrine, which was established by the Tokugawa government, as well as at schools in other fiefs during the Edo period. The ceremony is still performed today in various parts of Japan.

This display features materials from the Heian through the Meiji periods related to the Sekiten ceremony. The Engishiki, a collection of regulations concerning ceremonies and customs compiled during the Heian period, includes a detailed account of the ceremony. The "Painting of the Sekiten Ceremony" depicts the ceremony held in 1287 at Daigakuryo. A poem by Sanjonishi Sanetaka is from the poetry party held during Sekiten in 1510. Hishikawa Moronobu's Yushima Confusian Shrine shows the Yushima shrine when the ceremony was held in the presence of the Shogun Tsunayoshi. "Tokugawa Government's Sekiten at the Confucian Shrine" is an illustrated record for the renovation of the Yushima shrine by Councilor Matsudaira Sadanobu. Photographs of the exhibition held at the Yushima shrine in 1872 and postcards from the Sekiten Confucian festival held in 1906 are also on display.