Painting, Calligraphy and Textiles
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Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku (detail), By Kōzuke no Hokkyō and Tajima no Bō, Kamakura period, dated 1305 (Important Cultural Property)
The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures Room 6
January 2, 2021 (Sat) - January 31, 2021 (Sun)The Gallery of Hōryūji Treasures contains paintings from as early as the 11th century—including the National Treasure the Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku (1069 AD), which depicts the legends surrounding Hōryūji Temple’s founder. Other works include the Important Cultural Property the Four Sages at Mount Shang, and Wen Wang and Lu Shang (1364 AD) along with numerous paintings featuring Buddhist themes.
The works of calligraphy held in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures primarily consist of records donated to the temple by Empress Kōken (713–770), works imported from China during the Tang dynasty (618–907), and Horyuji Temple’s records of daily events as well as legends concerning Prince Shōtoku.
The textiles held in the collection date from the mid-7th to 8th century and consist mainly of Buddhist ritual banners (ban), table mats (joku), and robes or other clothing worn by monks. The textiles also include fragments whose original uses are unknown, including rare ancient textiles, such as warp-faced compound weaves, tapestries, warp ikat fragments, complex gauze (ra), and plain- and twill-weave silks.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Illustrated Biography of Prince Shōtoku | 4 panels | By Kōzuke no Hokkyō and Tajima no Bō | Kamakura period, dated 1305 (Kagen 3) | N-2 | |
| Highlight | Address at the Memorial Service for Prince Shotoku | Kamakura period, 13th-14th century | N-6 | ||||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | "Funzō-e" (Monk's Robe) | Nara period, 8th century | N-34 |