Life and Death in the Kamakura Period
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Buddhist Stone Tablet (Itabi) with the Sanskrit Characters Symbolizing the Buddha Amida with Two Attendants
Found in Akiruno City, Tokyo, Muromachi period, 1457Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
September 18, 2024 (Wed) - March 9, 2025 (Sun)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 | Buddhist Stone Tablet ("Itabi") with the Sanskrit Characters Symbolizing the Buddha Amida with Two Attendants | Found in Akiruno City, Tokyo | Muromachi period, 1457 | J-25150 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Water Pitcher | Jingdezhen ware, China, Found in Ōtsu City, Shiga | Northern Song dynasty, 11th century | Lent by Ōmi Shrine, Shiga | ||
| Important Cultural Property | Bowl | China, Found in Kamakura City, Kanagawa | Kamakura period, 13th–14th century (Creation: Southern Song dynasty, 13th century) | J-36933-1 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Bowl | China, Found in Kamakura City, Kanagawa | Kamakura period, 13th–14th century (Creation: Yuan dynasty, 14th century) | J-36933-3 | ||
| Highlight | Pagoda-Shaped Cinerary Urn | Found in Ojiya City, Niigata | Kamakura period, 1328 | J-37259 | |||
| Buddhist Stone Tablet ("Itabi") with the Sanskrit Character Symbolizing the Buddha Amida | Found in Yokohama City, Kanagawa | Kamakura period, 1295 | Gift of Mr. Umehara Tamekichi, J-25211 | ||||
| Pagoda | Kamakura period, 12th-13th century | J-25321 | |||||
| Highlight | National Treasure | Jar with Autumn Grasses | Atsumi ware, Found in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa | Heian period, 12th century | Lent by Keio University, Tokyo | On exhibit through December 8, 2024 |