Historical Collection: Speaking to the Future Series Sekiten - Celebrating Confucius

Sekiten (Shidian in Chinese) is a ceremony to express veneration for Confucius and other important Confucian philosophers and sages. Originating in ancient China, Confucianism was practiced in Japan from as early as 701 under the rule of Emperor Monmu at Daigakuryo, an imperial institute of higher education. In the ancient form of the Sekiten ceremony, a dedication was recited before a portrait of Confucius by the head of Daigakuryo with offerings of food and wine, as described in Volume 20 of Engishiki. The custom of Sekiten continued throughout the medieval era into the early-modern Edo period, when the Edo shogunate officially held the ceremony regularly at the Yushima Seido Confucian shrine. The practice was also adopted by provincial schools across the country.

Tokyo National Museum, with its origin in the Yushima Seido Exposition of 1872, has a vast collection of resources related to the Sekiten ceremonies held at Yushima Seido. This exhibition features portraits of Confucian figures from Yushima Seido along with illustrations of the ceremony. Other exhibits include Engishiki and works connected with the ceremony, such as a poem by Sanjonishi Sanetaka composed on the occasion of a Sekiten ceremony.