Seated Rushanabutsu (Vairocana) Statue, Nara period, 8th Century, National Treasure
Toshodaiji, Nara
©Kuru Sachiko
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Special Exhibition Galleries
January 12, 2005 (Wed) - March 6, 2005 (Sun)
To commemorate the Heisei restoration of the Kondo (Main Hall) of Toshodaiji, this exhibition will re-create the interior of the Kondo and the Mieido (Founder's Hall) with main figure of each hall, the statues of Vairocana Buddha and Ganjinwajo.
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| Period | Wednesday, January 12 - Sunday, March 6, 2005 | ||||||
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| Venue | Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park) | ||||||
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| Hours | 9:30 am. - 5:00 pm. (last entry 30 minutes before closing) | ||||||
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| Closed | Mondays (Except for Monday, February 21 and 28, 2005) | ||||||
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| Admissions | Adult 1,400 (1300/1200)yen, Student 1,000 (900/800)yen
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| Access | 10 minutes' walk from JR Ueno Station (Park exit) and Uguisudani Station 15 minutes' walk from Keisei Ueno Station and Tokyo Metro Ueno Station |
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| Organizers | Tokyo National Museum, Toshodaiji, TBS, and Nihon Keizai Shimbun | ||||||
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| With the Assistance of | Agency for Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the People's Republic of China, Nara prefecture, TBS Radio | ||||||
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| With the Special Sponsorship of | Sohgo Security Services Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mitsui Fudosan Co.,Ltd. | ||||||
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| With the Cooperation of | Nara National Museum, Nippon Express Co., Ltd, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., East Japan Railway Company, Oji Specialty Paper Co., Ltd., Chuetsu Pulp & Paper | ||||||
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| General Inquiries | 0570-060-060 (Toshodaiji Dial) | ||||||
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| Exhibition Homepage | http://www.tbs.co.jp/p-guide/daiji/top/ (TBSToshodaiji 2010 Project Homepage : Japanese only) http://www.tbs.co.jp/mobile/ (TBS mobile site : Japanese only) The website has closed with the end of the exhibition. |
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| About the Exhibition |
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| 1. Re-creation of the Kondo (Main Hall) | |||
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Kondo (Main Hall) of the Toshodaiji temple is known as one of the representative buildings of the Nara period with an impressive beauty created by the roof and pillars. On the platform in the hall is a seated image of Rushanabutsu (Vairocana) flanked by two standing images, Senju Kannon (Sahasrabhuja) on the left-hand side and Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) on the right side. In front of Rushanabutsu Bonten (Brahman) and Taishakuten (Sakradevanam Indra) stand on the right and left sides, and the four corners of the platform are guarded by Shiten-no (Four Heavenly Kings). With its high ceiling and massive sculpture, the interior of the hall is like a vast universe with Vairocana in the center. In this exhibition, the statues of Rushanabutsu, Bonten, Taishakuten, and Shiten-no are installed in the large gallery of Heiseikan to reproduce the interior of the Main Hall. The display will enable the visitors to feel as if they are actually in the hall and take a closer look at the deities which usually can be seen only from the outside of the hall. Excellent lighting will highlight the charm of each work, and the viewers will be able to enjoy the early Buddhist art in an atmosphere of the universe of Vairocana. |
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| 2. Re-creation of the Mieido (Founder's Hall) | |||
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Mieido (the Founder's Hall) stands near the north end of the Toshodaiji temple grounds. The statue of the founder, Ganjinwajo, is installed in a shrine placed in the central inner room (Pine Room) of the hall. Each room of the building is decorated with paintings executed by Higashiyama Kaii on 68 sliding doors and wall panels completed in 1980. In this exhibition, the statue of seated Ganjinwajo and all the paintings including the one for the shrine are shown together in order to re-create the interior of the Mieido hall. The statue of Ganjinwajo is known as one of the masterpieces of Japanese portrait sculpture depicting faithfully the priest who arrived in Japan from China after many unsuccessful attempts for twelve years. His sublime spirit felt from the sculpture has strongly impressed the viewers. Higashiyama Kaii was among them and the sliding door and wall panel paintings for which he spent ten years from planning to completion are not only a landmark of his artistic career but also a symbol of his reverence for Ganjinwajo. The purpose of showing the entire paintings together with the image of Ganjinwajo is to give the visitors an opportunity to feel the sacred atmosphere created by the combination of the two works. This would be the first and the last of such a display. |
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| Major Works on Display |
*All works are lent by Toshodaiji, Nara |
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Seated Rushanabutsu (Vairocana) Statue National Treasure Nara period, 8th Century Hollow-core dry-lacquer, lacquer and gold leaf Height 304.5 cm |
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Seated Ganjinwajo Statue National Treasure Nara period, 8th Century Hollow-core dry-lacquer figure with colored decoration Height 80.1 cm |
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Standing Statues of Bon-ten (Brahma) National Treasure Nara period, 8th century Colored wood construction with details added in dry lacquer Height : 186.2 cm |
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Standing Statues of Taishaku-ten (Sakuradevanam Indra) National Treasure Nara period, 8th century Colored wood construction with details added in dry lacquer Height : 188.2 cm |
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Standing Statues of Shitenno (Four Heavenly Kings) : Komoku-ten(Virupaksa) National Treasure Nara period, 8th century Colored wood construction with details added in dry lacquer Height : 186.3 cm |
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Standing Statues of Shitenno (Four Heavenly Kings) : (Tamon-ten; Vaisravana) National Treasure Nara period, 8th century Colored wood construction with details added in dry lacquer Height : 188.5 cm |
| Sliding Doors and Wall Paintings in Mieido (Founder's Hall) by HIGASHIYAMA Kaii |
 Sliding Door Paintings, "Tosei" (The Sound of Waves) by Higashiyama Kaii (1908-1999) ©Onishi Naruaki |
