Tue, Feb 6, 2024
Part 1 of 2: National treasures
Every year, the Tsumugu Project — a joint effort between Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency, Imperial Household Agency and national daily The Yomiuri Shimbun to restore, preserve and promote the nation’s artistic treasures and traditional culture — uses a part of the proceeds from art exhibitions it organizes to help repair a certain number of cultural assets in need of urgent care.
The 9 cultural assets TSUMUGU Project will help repair in FY2024:
– National treasure: Seated statue of Miroku-butsu (Maitreya) — Kofuku-ji temple, Nara
– National treasure: Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era (Taiping Yulan) — Tofuku-ji temple, Kyoto
– National treasure: Prince Shotoku and the High Priests of Tendai Buddhism — Ichijo-ji temple, Hyogo Pref.
– Important cultural property: Shaka’s Eight-phase Nirvana — Tsurugi-jinja shrine, Fukui Pref.
– Important cultural property: Prince Shotoku Lecturing on the Srimaladevi Sutra — Seirai-ji temple, Mie Pref.
– Important cultural property: Sutra in Gold Letters on Deep Blue Paper (Excavated from the sutra mound at Kinpusen) — Kinpusen-ji temple, Nara Pref.
– Important cultural property: Portraits of Mansai, Giken, Gigyo, Gien, Kakujo — Daigo-ji temple, Kyoto
– Important cultural property: Statue of Fugen Bosatsu in Cabinet — Gansen-ji temple, Kyoto Pref.
– Important cultural property: Landscape by Ito Jakuchu — Saifuku-ji temple, Osaka Pref.
For fiscal 2024 (financial year starting on April 1), the project has selected nine assets to help restore, comprising three designated national treasures and six designated important cultural properties of Japan.
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The seated statue of Miroku-butsu (Maitreya) — the principal image of Kofuku-ji’s Hoku’en-do (Northern Round Hall) — along with the statues of the flanking attendants Mujaku Bosatsu (Asanga Bodhisattva) and Seshin Bosatsu (Vasubandhu Bodhisattva), is the work of Unkei — a historical Buddhist sculptor active from the late Heian period through the early Kamakura period (12th-13th century) — and his acolytes. With its peaceful countenance, well-rounded figure and neatly carved folds in the robe, Unkei’s masterpiece from late in his life marks the acme of Kamakura-period wooden sculptures. It is usually hidden from view but shown to the public every spring and fall attracting many visitors to the temple.
The seated statue is 141 centimeters (4 feet 8 inches) in height and made of katsura wood using the yosegi-zukuri (joined-block construction) and shippaku (applying gold leaf over lacquer) techniques. It sits on an octagonal mokakeza (pedestal covered by the skirt of the Buddha). When it was disassembled for conservation in 1934, experts found a miniature shrine, a written petition, a sutra scroll, a 7-centimeter-tall standing statue of the Miroku Bosatsu (Maitreya Bodhisattva) and a crystal ball with its base among some other things from inside the head and back. According to the sutra scroll and petition found from inside, the statue was almost finished in the early 1200s.
The statue last went under repairs in 1983. After 40 years, deterioration due to the effects of time is becoming more and more visible. Conservators need to put a stop to the peeling of the shippaku layer and insect damages, and also replace the damaged parts with more resistant material.
The statues of Mujaku and Seshin have often appeared in exhibitions and were checked for any damages incurred. Damaged parts were dealt with soon enough. However, the seated Miroku-butsu as the hidden principal image of Hoku’en-do had to stay in its place, making it difficult for conservators to examine the statue for any deterioration.
The repair work, which will last a whole year, involves taking steps to prevent the shippaku layers of the main body, halo and pedestal from peeling any further. The repaired statue will be exhibited in Tokyo in 2025.
Kofuku-ji Abbot Eishun Moriya, 74, says he had been concerned about the condition of the principal statue because Buddhist statues can always incur insect damages and the peeling of shippaku can progress even if they remain unmoved inside a hall. “I feel relieved that the statue is going to be repaired using the newest techniques, and in terms of being able to pass down the nation’s treasure to future generations, I am really grateful.”
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The “Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era (Taiping Yulan)” is an encyclopedia compiled by scholar-official Li Fang and others under orders from Taizong, the second emperor of the Northern Song dynasty. It took Li and his group more than six years to finish the task, which began in 977.
The encyclopedia was brought back to Japan from Song in 1241 by the Buddhist priest Enni (posthumously known as Shoichi Kokushi), the founder of Tofuku-ji temple.
The encyclopedia comprises three booklets including a table of contents, and a hundred more booklets containing the main text. Each booklet binds together ten volumes, making it altogther a 1000-volume set. The booklets are an invaluable source of information that tells us something about the culture of Song-dynasty China. They do not remain in China.
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A series of 10 paintings depicting the nine high priests of India, China and Japan associated with the esoteric Tendai school of Buddhism, as well as Prince Shotoku (son of Emperor Yomei), who much valued Hokekyo (Lotus Sutra), the primal scripture of the school. The warmth in the coloration and the unique forms represented are what make the series stand out among others. It is counted as a masterpiece among the rare Buddhist paintings remaining in Japan from the Heian period (11th century).
Each painting is about 130 centimeters by 75 centimeters in size. Some of the priests portrayed are seated, while others are standing. Some are full-faced, while others are not. The soft contours and expressiveness of their faces make viewers feel an affinity with the priests. Inscriptions in the portraits of Prince Shotoku and some of the priests correspond to what was written on wall paintings in the halls of Hiei-zan (Mt. Hiei) Enryaku-ji temple, the headquarters of Tendai Buddhism. Experts say the wall paintings may have served as references in the production of the portraits.
The paintings are severely damaged due to folds, chippings and the peeling of pigment. More than 120 years have passed since the restoration of these paintings in 1902 by Nihon Bijutsuin (the Japan Art Academy). They are now in need of urgent care.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)
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