Life and Death in the Kamakura Period
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Itabi with Sanskrit Characters Symbolizing Amitabha Triad, From Takao, Akiruno-shi, Tokyo, Muromachi period, dated 1457
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
March 23, 2021 (Tue) - September 20, 2021 (Mon)From the Kamakura period (1192–1333), political power shifted from the aristocracy to the warrior class. Society and culture began to reflect the tastes and lifestyles of these new rulers, while towns were built around their castle compounds throughout Japan.
New sects of Buddhism also gained popularity in the Kamakura period. One of these was the Zen sect, which was accepted into warrior society. Tea drinking, which spread through Zen, was valued by the warrior class for providing a means for social interaction. Meanwhile, tea utensils became highly valued as symbols of prestige among the warriors. Chinese ceramics became especially prized, and local kilns such as the ones in Seto (present-day Aichi prefecture) began producing ceramics in imitation of them. These ceramics were also created for storing the remains of deceased individuals.
Itabi were stone tablets resembling gravestones, which were created to pray for the repose of deceased individuals. Beginning in the mid-Kamakura period, they were created throughout Japan, from Hokkaido in the north to Kagoshima in the south, although most of them were concentrated in the Kanto region around present-day Tokyo. Many of these tablets are similar in form and are thought to have deep connections with warriors of the Kanto region.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Itabi with Sanskrit Characters Symbolizing Amitabha Triad | From Takao, Akiruno-shi, Tokyo | Muromachi period, dated 1457 (Kousho 3) | J-25150 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Ewer, White porcelain | Jingdezhen ware, China, From Minamishiga-cho, Otsu-shi, Shiga | Kamakura Period, 13th-14th century (Northern Song dynasty, 11th century) | Lent by Omi-jingu, Shiga | ||
| Important Cultural Property | Celadon Bowl with carved lotus petals | From Omachi., Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa | Kamakura period, 13th-14th century (Southern Song dynasty, 13th century) | J-36933-1 | |||
| Highlight | Cinerary Urn | China, Excavated from Maeda, Ibaraki-machi, Ibaraki | Southern Song dynasty, 13th century | J-25316 | |||
| Itabi with Sanskrit Character Symbolizing Amitabha | From Mineoka-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa | Kamakura period, dated 1295 (Einin 3) | Gift of Mr. Umehara Tamekichi, J-25211 | ||||
| Pagoda | Kamakura period, 12th-13th century | J-25321 | |||||
| Highlight | National Treasure | Jar with Autumn Glasses | Found in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa | Heian period, 12th century | Lent by Keio University, Tokyo |