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HIRAYAMA Ikuo and the Preservation of Buddhist Heritage

  • Image of ""Dawn at Dayan Pagoda, Chang'an, China", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara"

    "Dawn at Dayan Pagoda, Chang'an, China",
    By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara

    Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Special Exhibition Galleries
    January 18, 2011 (Tue) - March 6, 2011 (Sun)

    This exhibition honors Hirayama Ikuo's outstanding contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage, and seeks to renew awareness of the value of heritage preservation as well as highlight challenges being faced in the field. Works on exhibit include many of the Buddhist sculptures and wall paintings which captivated Hirayama, and which originated in and around India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Cambodia, marking the trail of Buddhism's traversal across Asia.

 General Information
Period Tuesday, January 18 - Sunday, March 6, 2011
Venue Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park)
Hours 9:30 - 17:00
(Last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed Mondays
Admission Adults: 1,500 (1,300/1,200) yen
University students: 1,200 (1,000/900) yen
High school students: 900 (700/600) yen
Junior high school students and under: Free
* Prices shown in ( ) indicate advance / group (more than 20 persons) discount tickets
* Persons with disabilities are admitted free with one accompanying person each.
* Advance tickets are on sale at the Museum ticket office (during museum hours, 30 minutes before closing hour) and e-Ticket Pia (P-code:764-387), Lawson Ticket and other major ticketing agencies from Friday, October 1 to Monday, January 17, 2011.
* Advance pair tickets (two admissions, 2000yen) are sold at e-Ticket Pia (P-code:764-387) until Wednesday, November 17, 2010.
Access 10 minutes' walk from JR Ueno Station (Park exit) and Uguisudani Station
15 minutes' walk from Keisei Ueno Station, Tokyo Metro Ueno Station and Tokyo Metro Nezu Station
Organizer Tokyo National Museum, NHK, NHK Promotions, The Asahi Shimbun
With the special assistance of HIRAYAMA IKUO SILK ROAD MUSEUM, Yakushi-ji Temple
With the Sponsorship of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
With the Assistance of Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage, Tokyo Art Club, ASAHI MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO., Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co.,Ltd.
With the Support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Agency of Cultural Affairs
General Inquiries 03-5405-8686 (Hello Dial)
Exhibition Website http://www.asahi.com/hirayama/ (The Asahi Shimbun, In Japanese)
http://www.nhk.or.jp/event/hirayama/ (NHK Promotions, In Japanese)
 Related events (In Japanese)
  Commemorative lecture (application required)
Saturday, January 29, 2011, 13:30 - 15:00, Auditorium, Heiseikan
Title: "Yakushiji temple and the Journey to Western China Wall Paintings"
Lecture by: Yamada Hoin (a priest, Yakushiji Temple)
Saturday, February 19, 2011, 13:30 - 15:00, Auditorium, Heiseikan
Title: "The Path of Buddhism"
Lecture by: Matsumoto Nobuyuki (Director of Curatorial Planning)
 
  lecture (application required)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011, 15:00 - 15:45, Auditorium, Heiseikan
Title: "Priests From Yakushiji Temple Introduce The Daito Saiiki Murals"
Lecture by: Matsukubo Shuin (a priest, Yakushiji Temple)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 15:00 - 15:45, Auditorium, Heiseikan
Title: "Priests From Yakushiji Temple Introduce The Daito Saiiki Murals"
Lecture by: Yamada Hoin (a priest, Yakushiji Temple)
 
Talks by Priests From Yakushiji Temple
(1) Thursday, January 27, 2011
(2) Friday, January 28, 2011
(3) Tuesday, February 15, 2011
(4) Wednesday, February 16, 2011
(5) Thursday, February 17, 2011
(6) Thursday, February 24, 2011
(7) Friday, February 25, 2011
Time: 11:00-, 12:00-, 13:00-, 14:00-, 15:00-
Venue: Auditorium, Heiseikan
* Please note that it may cancel without prior notice.
 
I - Care and continuity of cultural heritage: the path of Buddhism
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Hirayama Ikuo traveled to areas surrounding the Silk Road and the route of the transmission of Buddhism gathering material for his sketches and paintings more than 150 times. His journeys were not limited to Asia, but extended as far as Europe, North America, and even Africa, and in every place without fail he sketched his surroundings and burned the image of each region into his mind. Through this research, he became acutely aware of just how critical a situation the world's cultural heritage and cultural properties were facing, and this awareness led to involvement with the "Cultural Heritage Red Cross," the primary objective of which was the protection of cultural properties.
関連地図
Part 1: India and Pakistan - Mathura and Gandhara
Standing Buddha
Pair of earrings
Pair of earrings		 Decorative ornaments
Decorative ornaments
Pair of earrings, Decorative ornaments
Gandhara, Pakistan, Kushan period, 1st-3rd century,
Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum, Yamanashi
Standing Buddha
Swat valley, Pakistan, Kushan period, 2nd-3rd century,
Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum, Yamanashi
Part 2: Afghanistan - Bamiyan
Kasyapa Brothers worshipping the Buddha
"Kasyapa Brothers worshipping the Buddha" illustration of the life of Buddha
Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, 2nd-3rd century, Held in trust by the Japanese Committee for the Protection from Dispersement of Cultural Properties		  
Remembering the Great Stone Buddha at Bamiyan Ruins of the Great Stone Buddha at Bamiyan
"Remembering the Great Stone Buddha at Bamiyan"
By Hirayama Ikuo, 2001, Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art, Hiroshima		 "Ruins of the Great Stone Buddha at Bamiyan"
By Hirayama Ikuo, 2003,
Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art, Hiroshima
Part 3: China - Saiiki (The Western Regions)
Sarira casket Sarira casket Sarira casket
Subashi, Kucha, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, 6th-7th century, Tokyo National Museum
front back
Bodhisattva head Bodhisattva head
Kumutura Caves, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, 6th-7th century, Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum, Yamanashi		 Mural painting: Kneeling Bodhisattva holding incense burner Mural painting: Kneeling Bodhisattva holding incense burner
Bezeklik Caves, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, ca. 10th century, Tokyo National Museum
Part 4: China - Dunhuang
Banner with standing Dizang (Jizo) Bodhisattva
Sanwei Mountain, Dunhuang Mingsha Sand Dune, Dunhuang
"Sanwei Mountain, Dunhuang"(left), "Mingsha Sand Dune, Dunhuang"(right)
By Hirayama Ikuo, 1985, Narukawa Art Museum, Lake Ashi, Hakone, Kanagawa


Banner with standing Dizang (Jizo) Bodhisattva
Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, Gansu, China, Tang dynasty, 8th century, Tokyo National Museum
Part 5: China - Xi'an, Luoyang, and Datong
Niche with Eleven-headed Guanyin
 Niche with Eleven-headed Guanyin
Baoqing temple, Xi'an, China, Tang dynasty, dated 703, Important Cultural Property, Tokyo National Museum
 
Part 6: Cambodia - Angkor Wat
Buddha seated on a Naga
Moon at Angkor Wat "Moon at Angkor Wat"
By Hirayama Ikuo, 1993, Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art, Hiroshima
Buddha seated on a Naga
Southeast Terrace No. 61, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Angkor period, 12th century, Tokyo National Museum
II - Realizing the fruits of cultural heritage preservation: the Daito Saiiki Murals
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The Daito Saiiki murals were dedicated at the Genjo Sanzo-in of Nara's Yakushiji Temple on the eve of New Year's 2000. Taking over twenty years from conception to completion, these magnificent 37-meter murals overlay a merging of time and space, a representation of the harmony between man and nature, onto a depiction of Genjo Sanzo's journey in search of Buddhist scriptures, as if to symbolize an ideal paradise. This true lifetime masterpiece encapsulates the various activities and passions of Hirayama Ikuo, who devoted himself with zealous energy to the preservation of cultural heritage and the desire for world peace.
The Daito Saiiki Murals
Dawn at Dayan Pagoda, Chang'an,China
  
"Dawn at Dayan Pagoda, Chang'an, China", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
On the way to Jiayu Pass, Chin
"On the way to Jiayu Pass, China", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
The Ancient City of Gaochang, China
"The Ancient City of Gaochang, China", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
Mount Sumeru of the Western Pure Land
"Mount Sumeru of the Western Pure Land", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
The Bamiyan Caves, Afghanistan
"The Bamiyan Caves, Afghanistan", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
Evening on the Deccan Plateau, India
"Evening on the Deccan Plateau, India", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
Moon at Nalanda, India
"Moon at Nalanda, India", By Hirayama Ikuo, 2000, Yakushiji temple, Nara
Exhibitions