Buddha, Collection of Hōryūji Treasures, Asuka period, 7th century (Important Cultural Property)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 1
October 8, 2024 (Tue) - December 22, 2024 (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 | Important Cultural Property | Buddha | Collection of Hōryūji Treasures | Asuka period, 7th century | N-193 | ||
Highlight | Important Art Object | Volume 45 of the "Saṃyukta Āgama" (One of the "Sutras of the Eleventh Day of the Fifth Month") | Nara period, 743 | Gift of the Ogura Foundation, B-3083 | On exhibit through November 10, 2024 | ||
Highlight | Volume 75 of the "Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom" (Called the "Kita Temple Sutra Compilation Copied by Devotees") | Nara period, 734 | Lent by Enpukuji Temple, Chiba | On exhibit from November 12, 2024 | |||
Highlight | National Treasure | Ritual Objects Used to Consecrate the Site of Kōfukuji Temple, Eight-Lobed Mirror with Auspicious Flowers and Paired Phoenixes | Found under the dais of the Main Hall of Kōfukuji Temple, Nara | Tang dynasty, 8th century | E-14255 | ||
Highlight | National Treasure | Ritual Objects Used to Consecrate the Site of Kōfukuji Temple, Large Bowl | Found under the dais of the Main Hall of Kōfukuji Temple, Nara | Nara period, 8th century | E-14260 | ||
Important Cultural Property | Bowl | Nara period, 8th century | E-14284 | ||||
Ritual Incense Burner with a Handle and Lion-Shaped Counterweight | Nara period, 8th century | E-19927 |