Special Exhibition Commemorating the 1150th Founding Anniversary of Daikakuji Treasures of Daikakuji: From Imperial Villa to Buddhist Temple

Daikakuji Temple traces its roots to the Heian period (794–1192), a golden age of Japan’s imperial court. Elite members of the court often retreated to northwest Kyoto’s picturesque Saga area for recreation, and it was on this site that Emperor Saga (786–842) chose to have the detached palace Saga-in constructed. On the advice of the venerated monk Kūkai (774–835), Emperor Saga enshrined statues of the Five Great Wisdom Kings (no longer extant) in his private Buddhist hall. In 876, over thirty years after the emperor’s death, his daughter Princess Masako petitioned to have the estate converted into Daikakuji Temple.

Over a millennium has passed since then, and the temple is celebrating its 1150th anniversary in 2026. As a prelude to that event, Daikakuji is pleased to present this exhibition showcasing its temple treasures. These include painted sliding doors from the Shinden—a building reportedly constructed to be the living quarters of Tokugawa Masako (Tōfukumon-in; 1607–1678) when she married Emperor Go-Mizunoo (1596–1680) and later partially relocated to the center of the temple’s precincts. Its paintings have collectively been designated an Important Cultural Property and include masterpieces by the iconic artist Kanō Sanraku (1559–1635). In addition to over 120 of these painted panels, the exhibition features celebrated esoteric Buddhist works, like manuscripts brushed by emperors that trace the history of faith at Daikakuji as well as the Five Great Wisdom Kings, a renowned set of statues from the late Heian period by the master sculptor Myōen (d. 1199).