Fri, Apr 1, 2022
The three-year repair work of the Kamakura-period masterpiece “Raigo of Amida (Amitabha) and Twenty-five Attendants,” otherwise known as “Hayaraigo,” was completed near the end of March 2022.
The well-known Buddhist painting (late 13th century-early 14th century) is a government-designated national treasure owned by the Chion-in temple in Kyoto and entrusted to the Kyoto National Museum, where the repair work was conducted. Nearly square-shaped (1.45 meters by 1.55 meters), it features a detailed representation of Amida (Amitabha) and a retinue of saints descending on clouds to receive a dying person, who is reciting a Buddhist invocation in the hopes of entering paradise.
Before the repair, the deterioration of the painting over time was quite apparent: Cracks were found on its surface and paint was flaking off. The repair work was executed at a restoration facility inside the Kyoto National Museum by local conservators to prevent further peeling and to renew the urauchi-gami backing paper supporting the honshi (main paper or silk where the work is painted on).
Having seen the Hayaraigo refreshed, Chion-in administrator Shoshin Maeda said: “The painting is brighter, and the strength and sense of speed that you feel from it has enhanced a great deal, and so I am delighted. We are renewing our determination to pass down what we have to the next century and the next, to future generations.”
The repair work was the first since 1934 for this work of art and supported by the Tsumugu Project (jointly undertaken by Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency, Imperial Household Agency and national daily The Yomiuri Shimbun). The project, since 2019, has been utilizing a part of the proceeds from the art exhibitions it hosts in association with other cultural programs and institutions to help conserve the nation’s cultural assets.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)
0%
