Exhibition Overview

The year 2023 marked the 1,250th anniversary of the birth of Kūkai (774–835), a seminal figure in bringing esoteric Buddhism to Japan and the founding patriarch of the Shingon school. To commemorate his birth, this exhibition has been jointly organized by the eighteen head temples of the Shingon sects affiliated with the Association of Shingon Head Temples. The association customarily selects a Daiajari ("great ācārya") from among its affiliated abbots and monastic leaders to preside over the Shingon school’s largest ceremony, the Latter Seven Days Ritual, and serve as the head of the Shingon school for that particular year.

Visit the exhibition to discover some of the most famous masterpieces of Buddhist art owned by Shingon temples, many of which are National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.

Highlights include textbook staples, like the Illustrated Origins of Shigisan Temple (Chōgosonshiji Temple, Nara Prefecture) and temple treasures offering insights into the Latter Seven Days Ritual jointly administered by the sects of the Shingon school, like the National Treasure The Twelve Devas (Saidaiji Temple, Nara Prefecture) and the Important Cultural Property The Bodhisattva Kannon (Skt. Avalokiteśvara), the Deva Bonten (Skt. Brahmā), and the Deva Taishakuten (Skt. Indra), Called "Futama Kannon" (Kyōō Gokokuji Temple (Tōji), Kyoto).

Visitors will also have the chance to see "secret" statues from temples across Japan that are typically concealed from view, like Great Master Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) (Kongōbuji Temple, Wakayama Prefecture), the Important Cultural Property The Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva Kannon (Skt. Avalokiteśvara) (Kanbodaiji Temple, Mie Prefecture), and the Important Cultural Property The Bodhisattva Nyoirin Kannon (Skt. Cintāmaṇicakra) (Daimonji Temple, Osaka).

Journey through time to discover how Kūkai’s teachings spread across Japan and were preserved by his followers for over 1,200 years. The masterworks on view explore Kūkai’s legacy and the Shingon school through four lenses: Kūkai himself, the Latter Seven Days Ritual, the eighteen head temples, and secret statues.

• * Certain works are subject to rotation and will not be on view the entire exhibition period.