The Arrival of Buddhism | 6th–8th century
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Eight Nested Bowls, Collection of Hōryūji Treasures, Nara period, 8th century (Important Cultural Property)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 1
February 14, 2023 (Tue) - April 2, 2023 (Sun)Japan's leaders transformed their society by adopting Buddhism and other foreign cultures and practices. Buddhism was founded by Gautama Buddha in ancient India around 500 BC. Later it spread throughout Asia and was introduced to Japan from the Korean Peninsula in the 6th century AD.
In the Asuka period (593–710), people from the Korean Peninsula brought advanced knowledge to Japan. They included monks, scholars, and artisans, who brought technology, scholarship, artistic traditions, and Buddhist teachings. Under the leadership of the emperor and powerful clans, Buddhism began to flourish as temples were built and sacred images created.
In the Nara period (710–794), Japan’s leaders emulated the Buddhist culture that was thriving in China. In the capital of Nara, the emperor oversaw the creation of a giant buddha sculpture at Tōdaiji Temple, the symbol of a state now unified under Buddhism. The sculptures, ritual tools, sacred texts, and other works on display illustrate these two periods of rapid change.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | "Gigaku" Mask: Suikojū (Retainer of a Drunken Persian King) | Nara period, 8th century | Gift of Mr. Mitsui Takahiro, C-1818 | ||||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Volume 468 of the "Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra" (Prince Nagaya's Votive Sutra) | Nara period, 728 | Private collection | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Nested Set of Reliquaries | Found at Mishima Temple (nonextant), Osaka | Nara period, 8th century | Gift of Mr. Hirano Sutejirō and Mr. Ōta Jisaburō, E-14297 | ||
| Important Cultural Property | Eight Nested Bowls | Collection of Hōryūji Treasures | Nara period, 8th century | N-264 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Bowl | Nara period, 8th century | E-14284 | |||
| Incense Burner with a Weighted Handle in the Shape of a Chinese Lion | Nara period, 8th century | E-19927 |