Special Exhibition

PRESS RELEASE November 2004

In Commemoration of the Heisei Restoration of the Kondo National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha

January 12 - March 6, 2005 Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park)

＜For Media Inquiries and Photo Request＞ Cosmo Communications (ATTN: Ms. Yoko Toda, Ms. Mai Arase) 11th Floor, Aoyama Tower Bldg., 2-24-15 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0042 TEL：03-3405-8182 FAX：03-3405-9730

Above photo: Seated Rushanabutsu (Vairocana), Toshodaiji, Nara ©Kuru Sachiko ※Images are available upon request (digital or prints). Please contact with the PR Office (03-3405-8182).

National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha

Tokyo National Museum, January 12 - March 6, 2005

First time ever in Toshodaiji’s 1200 years history, the Rushanabutsu (Vairocana) will be shown to the public outside the temple

Toshodaiji is the head temple of the Ritsu sect of Buddhism. It was founded by the Chinese priest, Ganjinwajo, who spent twelve arduous years traveling to Japan, undergoing numerous perils on his way, in order to teach the true Buddhist precepts in this country. Despite losing his sight during the course of these hardships, he never wavered from his purpose. His indomitable spirit continues to inspire people to this day. To commemorate the Heisei restoration of the Kondo (Main Hall) of Toshodaiji, this exhibition will re-create the interior of the Kondo, which typify the architecture of the Tenpyo period (729-749), and the Mieido (Founder’s Hall) where the statue of Ganjinwajo is placed. The re-creation of the Kondo hall will be centered by the seated statue of Rushanabutsu (Vairocana), a National Treasure exhibited outside the temple for the first time ever in 1200 years of temple’s history. With the main figure of the Vairocana Buddha, statues of standing Bon-ten (Brahma), Taishaku-ten (Sakradevanam Indra) and the standing figures of the Shiten-no (Four Heavenly Kings), all of which are National Treasures, are exhibited thereby allowing the viewer to experience the creative atmosphere of the Tenpyo period for themselves. The Mieido section will present the exquisite seated portrait sculpture of Ganjinwajo (National Treasure) set against the entire set of sliding doors and wall paintings by a great contemporary nihon-ga artist, HIGASHIYAMA Kaii. The sublime spirit of Ganjinwajo is transmitted to this day through these treasures belonging to Toshodaiji. It is our sincere hope that this exhibition will present people with the opportunity to feel the various messages they communicate in peace and quiet.

General Information

【Title】National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple - Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha

【Period】Wednesday, January 12 - Sunday, March 6, 2005

【Venue】Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park)

【Hours】9:30-17:00. (last entry 30 minutes before closing time). Closed Monday

【Admissions】(Same Day Ticket) Adult ¥1,400 / Student ¥1,000 (Advance Ticket） Adult ¥1,300 / Student ¥900 (Group Ticket) Adult ¥1,200 / Student ¥800 Jr. high and elementary school students and under: free *Persons with disability are allowed free entry with one companion. Valid identification requested upon entry. *Advance tickets will be on sale at the Museum ticket office (during museum hours), e- Ticket Pia and other major ticket offices from November 6.

National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha

General Information (cont’d)

【Access】 10 minutes walk from JR Ueno Station (Park exit) and Uguisudani Station 15 minutes walk from Keisei Ueno Station and Tokyo Metro Ueno Station 20 minutes walk from Tokyo Metro Nezu Station

【Organizers】 Tokyo National Museum, Toshodaiji, TBS, Nihon Keizai Shimbun Inc.

【With the Assistance of】 Agency for Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Nara Prefecture, TBS Radio

【Special Sponsorship of】 Sohgo Security Services Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mitsui Fudosan Co.,Ltd.

【With the Cooperation of】 Nara National Museum, Nippon Express Co., Ltd., Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., East Japan Railway Company, Oji Specialty Paper, Chuetsu Pulp & Paper

【General Inquiries】 Toshodaiji Dial: 0570-060-060

【Exhibition Web Site】 http://www.tbs.co.jp/p-guide/daiji/top/ (in Japanese only)

※Images are available upon request (digital or prints). Please contact with the PR Office (03-3405-8182).

National Treasures of Toshodaiji Temple Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha

About the Exhibition

Re-creation of the Kondo (Main Hall)

Kondo (Main Hall) of the Toshodaiji temple is known as one of the representative buildings of the Nara period with an impressive beauty created by the roof and pillars. On the platform in the hall is a seated image of Rushanabutsu (Vairocana) flanked by two standing images, Senju Kannon (Sahasrabhuja) on the left-hand side and Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) on the right side. In front of Kondo (Main Hall) (c)Chiba Masao Rushanabutsu Bonten (Brahman) and Taishakuten (Sakradevanam Indra) stand on the right and left sides, and the four corners of the platform are guarded by Shiten-no (Four Heavenly Kings). With its high ceiling and massive sculpture, the interior of the hall is like a vast universe with Vairocana in the center. In this exhibition, the statues of Rushanabutsu, Bonten, Taishakuten, and Shiten-no are installed in the large gallery of Heiseikan to reproduce the interior of the Main Hall. The display will enable the visitors to feel as if they are actually in the hall and take a closer look at the deities which usually can be seen only from the outside of the hall. Excellent lighting will highlight the charm of each work, and the viewers will be able to enjoy the early Buddhist art in an atmosphere of the universe of Vairocana.

Re-creation of the Mieido (Founder’s Hall)

Mieido (Founder’s Hall) stands near the north end of the Toshodaiji temple grounds. The statue of the founder, Ganjinwajo, is installed in a shrine placed in the central inner room (Pine Room) of the hall. Each room of the building is decorated with paintings executed by Higashiyama Kaii on 68 sliding doors and wall panels completed in 1980.

In this exhibition, the statue of seated Ganjinwajo and all the paintings including the one for the Mieido (Founder’s Hall) shrine are shown together in order to re-create the (c) Onishi Naruaki interior of the Mieido hall. The statue of Ganjinwajo is known as one of the masterpieces of Japanese portrait sculpture depicting faithfully the priest who arrived in Japan from China after many unsuccessful attempts for twelve years. His sublime spirit felt from the sculpture has strongly impressed the viewers. Higashiyama Kaii was among them and the sliding door and wall panel paintings for which he spent ten years from planning to completion are not only a landmark of his artistic career but also a symbol of his reverence for Ganjinwajo. The purpose of showing the entire paintings together with the image of Ganjinwajo is to give the visitors an opportunity to feel the sacred atmosphere created by the combination of the two works. This would be the first and the last of such a display.

※Images are available upon request (digital or prints). Please contact with the PR Office (03-3405-8182).

― Principal Works on Display ―

*All works are lent by Toshodaiji, Nara.

Seated Rushanabutsu (Vairocana) Statue

National Treasure Nara period, 8th Century Hollow-core dry-lacquer, lacquer and gold leaf Height 304.5 cm Exhibited first-time ever outside the temple

(c)Kuru Sachiko

Seated Ganjinwajo Statue

National Treasure Nara period, 8th Century Hollow-core dry-lacquer figure with colored decoration Height 80.1 cm

(c)Kuru Sachiko

※Images are available upon request (digital or prints). Please contact with the PR Office (03-3405-8182).

― Principal Works on Display ―

(c)Kanai Morimichi (c)Kanai Morimichi Standing Bon-ten (Brahma) Statue Standing Taishaku-ten (Sakradevanam Indra) Statue National Treasure National Treasure Nara period, 8th Century Nara period, 8th Century Colored wood construction with details Colored wood construction with details added in dry lacquer added in dry lacquer Height 186.2 cm Height 188.2 cm

Statues of Standing Shiten-no (Four Heavenly Kings) National Treasure, Nara period, 8th Century Colored wood construction with details added in dry lacquer Height: Jikoku-ten 185.0 cm, Zocho-ten 187.2 cm, Komoku-ten 186.3 cm, Tamon-ten 188.5 cm

Jikoku-ten Zocho-ten Komoku-ten Tamon-ten

Photos above (c)Kanai Morimichi