NEWSLETTER
January to March 2015

Vol. 124

Feature Exhibitions

The Treasures of Gakuen-ji Temple in Shimane
Hina Matsuri and Japanese Dolls
Masterworks of Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Feature Exhibition

An Ancient Temple of the San’in Region

The Treasures of Gakuen-ji Temple in Shimane

January 2– February 15, 2015
Heisei Chishinkan Wing, Gallery1F-2

In 2012, the Kyoto National Museum presented The Grand Izumo Exhibition, a special exhibitioncommemorating the 1300th anniversary of the ancient chronicle Kojiki as well as the major rebuildingof Izumo Taisha Shrine. Izumo is home to the grand shrine and is a place often mentioned in ancient
mythology, for which reason it is closely associated with Japan’s native Shinto faith. The 2012 Izumo
exhibition, however, examined not only the Shinto culture of this region but also its Shinto–Buddhist
syncretic religion as well as its Buddhist culture from ancient times through the medieval period.
With the generous cooperation of numerous shrines and temples as well as the Shimane prefectural
government and the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo, the museum was able to introduce thespiritual culture of this part of Japan to numerous visitors.
While The Grand Izumo Exhibition may have done something to break down the perception ofIzumo as a purely Shinto area, it by no means penetrated the depths of Buddhism in Sai’in, the regionin which Izumo is located. This exhibition of treasures from Gakuen-ji helps to rectify this deficit.
Gakuen-ji is a Tendai sect temple in Shimane prefecture. It is hailed one of the sacred places inJapan in a late Heian period (circa 1180) anthology entitled Ryōjin hishō (Songs to Make the DustDance on the Beams), which was selected by Retired Emperor Goshirakawa. This reference tells usthat by the late twelfth century, Gakuen-ji was already famous as a sacred site and temple among theSeated Female Deity
Gakuen-ji Temple, Shimane Prefecture

people of Kyoto. (Continued on next page.)

Feature Exhibition

Hina Matsuri and Japanese Dolls
The Kyoto National Museum, welcomes spring this year witha revival of its beloved annual exhibition of Japanese dolls,
after a six-year hiatus during the rebuilding of the museum’snew wing. This year’s selection includes emperor and empress
dolls (dairi bina) and other hina dolls displayed on red felt,
sometimes on multi-tiered altars. It also features palace dolls(gosho ningyō) and Saga dolls (saga ningyō), both representing
children, as well as tiny Kamo dolls (kamo ningyō), with theirsimple but lively charm.
Hina dolls are associated with the Doll Festival, or hina
matsuri, which takes place on March 3rd each year. Thoughwidely considered to be an ancient ritual, the tradition ofdisplaying and celebrating dolls on a specific day dates
only to the early 1600s, in the Edo period. The Doll Festival
originated as a purification rite that took place on the third
day of the third month each year. Dolls originally functioned
as katashiro—inanimate substitute representations used
to absorb impurities and evils from actual people. These
representations could then be floated away or otherwise
destroyed, taking human pollutants with them. It was during
the Edo period that such ritual objects were transformed into
the luxurious figurines we know today.
Some types of Edo period hina dolls are named after thetime periods with which they are associated, as in the Kan’eidolls (kan’ei bina, named after the Kan’ei era, 1624–1645) orFebruary 21– April 7, 2015
Heisei Chishinkan Wing, Gallery 1F-2

Kyōhō dolls (kyōhō bina, after the Kyōhō era, 1716–1736). The
jirōzaemon bina dolls are named after a Kyoto doll maker,Jirōzaemon, who is credited with their design. The Kokin dolls(kokin bina) are considered to be a new Edo period innovation,
while the courtier dolls (yūsoku bina) faithfully represent
the costume and hair conventions of the aristocracy. Thisextensive selection of dolls offers you the opportunity tolook carefully at differences in their details, including facial
expressions, gestures, and costumes.
The highlights of the exhibition this year are the large
central hina altars with pavilions— exemplifying a nowrare display style formerly found in Kyoto, Osaka, and otherareas of the Kansai region. One of these is a newly donatedensemble commissioned for a baby girl in the year 1844. The
significance of the Kyoto National Museum’s collection shouldbe evident from the high quality of the works on view. We
hope that its appeal will extend to visitors of all ages.
(By Yamakawa Aki, Senior Curator of Textiles, translated by Melissa Rinne)

Hina Altar with Pavilion
Kyoto National Museum

Kamo Dolls
Kyoto National Museum(Continued from previous page.) Among the treasures preserved over the centuries in Gakuen-ji isa Standing Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva sculpture (Important Cultural Property) with an inscription
dating it to 692, as well as a ninth-century finial from a priest’s staff (not on view), which was
discovered on the temple grounds in a cave devoted to the mountain deity Zao Gongen. Suchworks tell us that Gakuen-ji was established as a monastery from the early part of the Heian period(794–1185). The name Gakuen-ji isn’t mentioned in writing, however, until the Kamakura period,
when it appears in the 1213 Mandate to Gakuen-ji from the Administrative Office of Mudō-ji on Mt. Hiei
on view in this exhibition. This document states that, upon the order of Retired Emperor Gotoba, thegovernment official in Izumo province must allocate a large parcel of land to Gakuen-ji, to be divided
into two precincts. The North and South Gakuen-ji precincts will be under the administration of thetemple Mudō-ji on Mt. Hiei in Kyoto, to which each precinct must submit half the annual rice taxes.
With this mandate, Gakuen-ji effectively became a branch temple of Mudō-ji and an official
member of the network of Tendai sect temples. Thereafter, Gakuen-ji joined Daisen-ji and Sanbutsu-jiin Hōki province as one of the three major temples of the San’in region.
This exhibition features various artworks from the temple including Buddhist and Shinto sculptures,some designated as Important Cultural Properties of the national or prefectural government. Mostof these works are on view at the Kyoto National Museum for the first time, allowing us to consider
Tendai Buddhist connections between Kyoto and Izumo in ways that were not covered in The Grand
Izumo Exhibition. At the same time they reveal to us the fascinating history and appeal of Gakuen-jiTemple.

(By Suekane Toshihiko, Associate Curator of Metalwork, translated by Melissa Rinne)

Important Cultural Property
Standing Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva
Gakuen-ji Temple, Shimane Prefecture

Feature Exhibition

Masterworks of Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

Thematic Exhibitions inThe Collection
Galleries

March 4– 29, 2015, Heisei Chishinkan Wing, Galleries 1F-1, 1F-3, 1F-5

The temple formally known as Amanosan Kongō-ji is part of the Shingon
sect of Esoteric Buddhism and said to have been founded by the priest
Gyōki (668–749). In the late Heian period, it was revived by the priest Akan(1136–1207) and became one of an elite group of “Hachijō-in” temples under
the sponsorship of Imperial Princess Hachijō-in Akiko (1137–1211), the thirddaughter of Emperor Gotoba. Later, in the Nanbokuchō period (1333–1392),
when the imperial court divided into Northern and Southern Courts, these
Hachijō-in temples became part of the Daikaku-ji line of temples, which wereassociated with the Southern Court. During the 1300s, Emperor Gomurakami
even resided temporarily at Kongō-ji for a time. Such events are extremely
important when considering the history and artworks of this temple.
Among the artworks owned by Kongō-ji are four National Treasurehandscrolls of the Engishiki (lit., “Procedures of the Engi Era”), a National
Treasure double-edged sword, and a very significant pair of early screens,
Landscape with Sun and Moon (Important Cultural Property). Other
outstanding works include manuscripts and documents, paintings, arms, andarmor. Many of the manuscripts have been studied recently by scholars ofJapanese literature. This exhibition shares the results of such recent research
as it introduces the art and history of this significant Osaka temple.
(By Akao Eikei, Senior Curator of Buddhist Manuscripts; translated by Melissa Rinne)

3F-1
Ceramics
Kyoto Ware

January 2–March 8, 2015

Chinese Ceramics

March 17–31, 2015
*Ceramics Gallery will be closed March 9–16

3F-2
Archaeological Relics
Bronze Mirrors of the Kofun Period
January 2–April 19, 2015

2F-1
Illustrated Handscrolls
Emaki of the Muromachi Period
January 2–February 8, 2015

Illustrated Handscrolls of Narrative
Literature
February 10–March 15, 2015

Muromachi Handscrolls of Temple andShrine Legends
March 17–April 12, 2015

2F-2
Buddhist Paintings
Shinto-Buddhist Syncretic Paintings
January 2–February 8, 2015Parinirvana: Death of the Buddha
Paintings
February 10–March 15, 2015

Spring Equinox and the Pure Land
March 17–April 12, 2015

2F-3
Medieval Paintings
Animal Imagery in Medieval Ink Paintings
January 2–February 8, 2015

Medieval Fan Paintings
February 10–March 15, 2015
Important Cultural Property
Landscape with Sun and Moon, detailKongō-ji Temple, Osaka

The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang
RiversMarch 17–April 12, 2015

Thematic Exhibitions in

The Collection

Galleries
ADMISSION

2F-4
Momoyama–Edo Paintings
Momoyama and Edo Period Wall and Door Paintings
January 2–February 8, 2015

Eighteenth Century Wall and Door Paintings
February 10–March 15, 2015

Paintings of Merrymaking by Master Artists

Adult 520 (410)
Univ. Student 260 (210)(Admission is free for youths of high school age and below)(Fees in parentheses are for groups of 20+)
*These fees are for admission to the Collections Galleries only.
Special Exhibitions require separate admission fees, which
include admission to the Collections Galleries.

March 17–April 12, 2015

2F-5
Chinese Paintings
The Brilliance of Chinese Bird and Flower Painting
January 2–February 8, 2015

Chinese Paintings with Auspicious Imagery
February 10–March 15, 2015

Song and Yuan Taoist and Buddhist Figure Paintings

HOURS
9:30 am– 5:00 pm (Entrance until 4:30 pm)*During special exhibitions, these hours are extended until
6:00 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and until
8:00 p.m. on Friday. Admission ends thirty minutes before
closing time.

March 17–April 12, 2015

CLOSED ON MONDAY

1F-1 Sculpture
Japanese Sculpture / Esoteric Buddhist Sculpture /Masterworks of Asian Sculpture*When Monday is a national holiday, the museum remains
open on Monday and closes the following Tuesday.
*The Museum will be closed December 24 (Wed.) to January 1(Thu.), 2015.

January 2–April 12, 2015

Feature Exhibition
Masterworks of Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka
March 4–29, 2015

1F-2 Feature Exhibition
The Treasures of Gakuen-ji Temple in Shimane
January 2–February 15, 2015

Hina Matsuri and Japanese Dolls
February 21–April 7, 2015

1F-3 Calligraphy
Calligraphy by Zen Priests
January 2–February 1, 2015

Sutra Manuscripts of the Nara PeriodFebruary 3–March 1, 2015

Feature Exhibition
Masterworks of Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka

ACCESS
Via JR or Subway

Get off at Kyoto Station. From bus platform D2 in front ofthe station, take City Bus #206 or #208 to “Hakubutsukan
Sanjusangendo-mae” bus stop. One-minute walk to theMuseum.

Via Keihan Railway

March 4–29, 2015

Get off at Shichijo Station. Walk east along Shichijo/Nanajo
Street (about seven minutes) to the Museum.

1F-4 Textiles and Costumes
Auspicious Textile Patterns

Via Hankyu Railway

January 2–February 8, 2015

Japanese Children's Clothing
February 11–March 22, 2015

Get off at Kawaramachi Station. Walk east over the bridgeto the Keihan Railway Gionshijo Station. Take Osaka-boundKeihan train to Shichijo Station. Walk east along Shichijo/
Nanajo Street (about seven minutes) to the Museum.

Shibori: The Art of Tie-Dyeing
March 25–April 26, 2015

1F-5 Metalwork
Swords from the Naga Fujikazu Collection
November 18, 2014–March 1, 2015

Feature Exhibition
Masterworks of Kongō-ji Temple, Osaka
March 4–29, 2015

1F-6 Lacquerware
Japanese Export Lacquers: Nanban and Kōmō Wares
November 26, 2014–January 12, 2015

Makie Lacquers of the Edo Period
January 14–February 22, 2015

Lacquered Cosmetic and Toiletry Implements
February 24–April 19, 2015

Upcoming
Exhibitions
KYOTO NATIONAL MUSEUM
Special Exhibition

Kano Painters of the Momoyama Preiod
Eitoku's Legacy

April 7–May 17, 2015

527 Chaya-cho, Higashiyama-ku
Kyoto, Japan 605-0931
Tel. (075) 525-2473
http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/