Gaki zoshi (Scroll of hungry ghosts) (detail), Heian period, 12th century (National Treasure)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 2
July 9, 2019 (Tue) - August 4, 2019 (Sun)
Buddhism teaches that after a person dies, he or she is reborn as one of the following: a god, human, demigod, animal, hungry ghost, or being who suffers in hell. The works on display show the suffering found in the realms of animals and fierce demigods (asura). They are from the oldest set of paintings depicting these realms, which were kept at Shojuraigoji Temple near Kyoto. People hoped to escape from these realms through rebirth in a paradise called the Pure Land, where salvation and enlightenment is guaranteed.
Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
Highlight | National Treasure | Scroll of Hungry Ghosts | Heian period, 12th century | A-10476 |