Nara Period Treasures from Shoso-in

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

EDIT: Here are TWO articles about the Nara Period treasures from Shosoin on display.

Shoso-in treasure house doors opened; 70 items to appear in annual exhibition
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Six doors of the Shoso-in treasure house in Nara that are usually sealed according to imperial order were opened during an annual ceremony Wednesday.

Before entering the treasure house, 17 people, including an imperial envoy, purified their mouths and hands with water.

Of Shoso-in's about 9,000 pieces, including some associated with Emperor Shomu (701-756), 70 items will be displayed at this year's 59th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures.

The exhibition will be held at the Nara National Museum from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12.

Various items in the collection will be examined by experts before the treasure house is resealed on Nov. 30.

This year's exhibition will include such pieces as Shitan Kinden no Egoro, a handled incense burner made of red sandalwood used during Buddhist ceremonies; Sumie no Dankyu, a toy bow designed to shoot balls instead of arrows; Kasen, a wool rug with two large floral patterns; and a wu, a type of musical pipe imported to Japan in the 7th century.

The exhibition is being organized by the museum with the special cooperation of The Yomiuri Shimbun.(Oct. 4, 2007) (SEE BELOW ARTICLE FOR MORE DETAILS!)

Magnificent Nara court culture highlighted
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The glorious court culture of the Nara period (710-794) will once again be in the public spotlight with 70 items selected from the Shoso-in treasure repository on display at the 59th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures for about two weeks from Oct. 27.

The treasures actually come from the Tempyo era (729-749) of the Nara period, and the culture of Heijokyo (ancient Nara) can best be captured in a famous poem that appears in the Manyoshu, Japan's oldest anthology of poems:

Ao ni yoshi
Nara no miyako wa
Sakuhana no
Niou ga gotoku
Ima sakarinari

"The capital of Nara flourishes like a beautiful, fragrant flower in bloom"

One exhibition highlight is the Hitsuji Ki Rokechi no Byobu, a standing screen with a wax-resistant-dyed rokechi design. The screen, showing Sassanian Persian influences, bears the images of a ram and other animals. Another folding screen, the Kumataka Rokechi no Byobu, displays a kirin, a mythical Chinese animal.

A woolly Kasen rug on display is the largest of its kind at Shoso-in, measuring 2.72 meters by 1.39 meters. It bears two large floral patterns. Although Japanese at the time did not commonly use rugs, Emperor Shomu (701-756), a collector of exotic items, was said to have greatly enjoyed the Kasen rugs in his possession.

Containers and playthings in the Shoso-in collection also recall the elegance of the culture at the time.

The Kingin Heidatsu no Kawabako, a lacquered hide box with a gold and silver heidatsu decoration, was used to hold offerings to Buddha. A Chinese hoo phoenix is depicted in the center of the lid, surrounded by gold and silver leaves. The lid's sides are decorated with birds holding flowers in their beaks and leaves.

The Sumie no Dankyu bow is a toy designed to shoot balls instead of arrows. Its inner side bears ink paintings depicting the ancient Chinese performing art of sangaku. A man is depicted juggling beanbags while a group of acrobats perform on a pole balanced atop a man's head.

Among musical instruments on display is the wu with 17 small bamboo pipes set in a wooden receptacle. The instrument, which has a black lacquered mouthpiece, resembles the sho, an instrument used for Japanese court music.

The exhibition will, for the first time, display a collection of Shibunritsu Buddhist sutras that detail training commands given to Buddhist priests. Two sets of Shibunritsu sutras have been preserved at Shoso-in.

One, called "Gogankyo," was hand-copied at the command of Empress Komyo (701-760), who wanted a prayer to God sent up for the peaceful rest of her deceased parents. The other, dubbed "Tokyo," probably brought to Japan when Ganjin (688-763), one of the highest-ranking priests in China at the time, came to this country to teach Buddhism.

Today, 1,200 years after their creation, the Shoso-in treasures remain enigmas for people hoping to unlock the secrets behind Japan's ancient history.

Collection dates back to 756
Shoso-in, which is described as the "end of the Silk Road," was originally the treasure house of the Todaiji temple.

From the Nara period to the Heian period (794-1192), central and local government offices and large temples had a storehouse called a "shoso" in which treasures were kept as well as various items collected as tax. A section of such a storehouse was called a "shoso-in."

At one time, there were many shoso-in storehouses, but only the Todaiji temple Shoso-in remains. The first of the Shoso-in treasures was stored there in 756.

Forty-nine days after the death of Emperor Shomu, Empress Komyo dedicated about 650 items related to him to the Great Buddha at Todaiji temple, wishing peace for his departed soul. Buddhist altar items used in the completion ceremony of the Buddha image in 752 were later stored at the Shoso-in.

The Shoso-in now houses about 9,000 items, including documents, stationery items, furniture, musical instruments, toys, Buddhist altar articles, weapons and armor, tableware pieces, clothing and accessories, carpentry tools and medicinal herbs.

The well-preserved condition of the collection's treasures--some dating back 1,200 years and having an international flavor--is a rarity among world artifacts.



The 59th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures

Oct. 27-Nov. 12, open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays), at Nara National Museum, a 15-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station.

Admission: 1,000 yen (900 yen in advance or for groups of 20 or more) for adults; 700 yen (600 yen) for university and high school students; and 400 yen (300 yen) for middle and primary school students. Advance tickets go on sale on Sept. 27.


Organized by Nara National Museum, with support from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp., Kintetsu Corp., Central Japan Railway Co., Daikin Industries, Ltd., Daiwa Securities Group Inc., Daiwa House Industry Co., Tezukayama Gakuen and Tezukayama University, and Nippon Life Insurance Co. in special cooperation with The Yomiuri Shimbun and in cooperation with NHK's Nara Station and Nara Television Co.

For more information, call Nara National Museum at +81-(0)742-22-7771.
(Sep. 12, 2007)
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[nagaeyari]

You're on a role with awesome articles.

I am definitely looking forward to the journal articles that come out of the short time that researchers have with the goods from the Shousou-in.

What is so interesting about the Shousou-in is that it has Persian, Indian, Korean, and Japanese artifacts. It's so cosmopolitan.
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Fukuzawa Yukichi - "Mo' money mo' problems

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

Hey, I'm just doing my job to keep the interest in ancient Japanese studies alive! They aren't posted to curry favor with the 天下御茶道様. Seriously-these are very interesting articles that caught my attention and I thought the gang may want to read them. It seems that every Thursday is the day to check out the Daily Yomiuri for these as that is when they print their weekly cultural section.
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Heee heee! Shita iro! Shita iro! Here comes his lordship, Baka Tono!
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[Tsubame1]

Obenjo, if any catalogue of the exibithion is
released, PLEASE let us know. Especially if ANY sort of blade is portraied in is.

Thanks for sharing.
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Carlo

Ovunque, torno indietro.
(Everywhere I go, I'll come back).

[AJBryant]

I was playing the "if you could have ONE item in the Shoso-in for your very own, what would it be?" game with a friend the other day.

Apparently, we both want the inlaid sugoroku table. Sigh.


Tony
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[lordameth]

「天下御茶道様」というのは本当に面白いけど、誰でしょうか。秀吉とか千利休とかこのフォラムの誰か。。。かな。
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紫水晶殿 - The Amethyst Lord

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

[lordameth]

Ah, alright then. See, I wasn't that far off. Cool nickname, indeed.
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紫水晶殿 - The Amethyst Lord

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

[Akaguma]

彼は21世紀の天下御茶道様になったら、「長柄槍」という名前はそんな茶道っぽいではありません。「長柄杓」はいいだと思いますよ。
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福は内、鬼も内、悪魔は外！

[nagaeyari]

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

Todaiji monks' enthusiasm helped preserve artifacts for centuries
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Following are excerpts from a keynote speech given by Kosei Morimoto, abbot emeritus of Todaiji temple:


Shoso-in is currently under the supervision of the Imperial Household Agency, but this has only been the case for the last 100 years or so of its 1,250-year-long history. Before the Meiji Restoration, Shoso-in was a storehouse for Todaiji temple.

When Emperor Shomu (701-756), who founded the temple, passed away, Empress Komyo (701-760) dedicated the emperor's treasures to the temple, saying seeing the things he loved made her cry.

In addition to the emperor's treasures, Shoso-in also stores Buddhist instruments used at the Great Buddha's eye-opening ceremony and other important occasions of the temple. For monks at the temple, Shoso-in was the place with precious goods that told the temple's history. So the monks protected Shoso-in with the same enthusiasm as they protected the Great Buddha Hall. Although the temple went through many difficult times in its history, including wartime, Shoso-in remained undamaged, I think, because of the monks' enthusiasm.

During the first half of Emperor Shomu's reign, the country suffered natural disasters such as earthquakes and droughts as well as an epidemic of smallpox. The emperor thought spreading Buddhism was necessary to save the people who had faced so many challenges.

He ordered the construction of monasteries and nunneries, called Kokubunji and Kokubunniji, in all provinces, which numbered over 60 at the time. Todaiji temple was where monks of these provincial monasteries got their training.

Shoso-in is divided into three warehouses--north, center, and south. The north warehouse contained Emperor Shomu's treasures, while the instruments used at Todaiji temple ceremonies were kept in the south warehouse. The center warehouse has both. The north and center warehouses could be opened only by the request of an Imperial messenger.

However, the Shoso-in treasures faced extreme hardships throughout history. Eight years after [the treasures were dedicated to the temple in 756], there was internal political strife at the Imperial court, and most of the weapons were taken away.

One example of the fate Shoso-in treasures followed is seen in a 1.56-meter-long piece of incense wood called Ojuku-Ko or Ranjatai. Attached to the wood are three notes bearing names--Ashikaga Yoshimasa, eighth shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate; Oda Nobunaga, a feudal lord; and Emperor Meiji--showing the places from which they each cut a piece.

However, more cuts can be found in the incense, and records say there were more than the aforementioned three that cut the wood, such as Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Ashikaga Yoshinori, third and sixth shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. In short, rulers of the country had the right to cut this incense.

I'd like to introduce two treasures to be displayed at the exhibition. One is Shitan Kinden no Egoro (a handled incense burner made of red sandalwood). This was used by a monk who played a leading role in a Buddhist ceremony. At the beginning of the ceremony, he would burn incense with the burner and bow three times. Then he would sit and perform a ritual with the burner and another tool.

Another treasure is Hitsuji Ki Rokechi no Byobu (a standing screen with wax-resistant-dyed rokechi design). The screen with a picture of sheep and a tree used to be one of a six-part screen. According to ancient documents, there were 100 such series of screens, meaning there were 600 screens. But I believe only 47 remain.

If we look at the picture on the screen upside down, in the tree--believed to be a tree of life bearing juice that will make you immortal--there are many snakes that look to be falling. This is a mysterious idea.

As seen in the screen design, Shoso-in treasures have attractions we've yet to discover. Japan can be proud of such valuable things. I can assure you they're well-worth seeing.

(Oct. 18, 2007)

Shoso-in's 'treasures in mind' discussed
The Shoso-in Forum 2007 Osaka was held earlier this month at NHK Osaka Hall to mark the 59th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures, attracting 1,400 people.

In the forum, experts discussed how people of the Tenpyo era (729-749) appreciated the treasures, including those brought to the country via the Silk Road, while examining various treasures to be featured in the exhibition.

The exhibition opens Oct. 27 at the Nara National Museum and runs until Nov. 12. It will be held in special cooperation with The Yomiuri Shimbun and in cooperation with NHK's Nara Station, Nara Television Co., and waraku, a monthly magazine published by Shogakukan Inc.

At the beginning of the forum, Jin Nakamura, the president of The Yomiuri Shimbun, Osaka, said: "The treasures Japanese have kept in their mind will be displayed. Please visit the exhibition and enjoy it."

Kosei Morimoto, abbot emeritus of Todaiji temple, delivered a keynote speech on the relationship between the temple and Shoso-in before a panel discussion moderated by NHK announcer Yoshihiko Tsubokura.

Following are excerpts of the panel discussion with Atsushi Uemura, a Japanese-style master painter and ornithologist; Machiko Satonaka, a manga artist known for her superb pieces based on ancient Japanese history; and Prof. Shunichi Sekine of Tezukayama University, who was in charge of 14 past Shoso-in exhibitions while working for the museum. Tsubokura: The Shoso-in treasures include many from overseas, especially those that came through the Silk Road. How do you think people at the time felt when they saw them?

Satonaka: Japanese envoys to China's Sui dynasty (581-619) and Tang dynasty (618-907) brought back various items. People in Japan treasured them, learned from them and tried to make similar things. In the meantime, they developed an appreciation for beautiful things.

These items have been well-preserved at the Shoso-in warehouse. It's said that Shoso-in is the east end of the Silk Road, but that doesn't mean the items are barely surviving in this far east country.

They're very well cared for in Japan, while the same type of items no longer exist or have been neglected in their countries of origin. Also, they're not always packed away in storage, but are occasionally aired out and examined. The good thing is their original condition has been preserved.

For example, Shitan Kinden no Egoro (an incense burner), which will be on display at this year's Shoso-in exhibition, is made of red sandalwood and decorated with jewels. It's very beautiful and we can see the skilled craftsmanship that went into it.

Uemura: The ho-o bird [depicted on the the lid] of the Kingin Heidatsu no Kawabako is an imaginary bird created using parts of various birds. It looks like a peacock from its tail and a helmeted curassow from its face.

Sekine: The box is made of molded cowhide. Lacquer is applied on its surface, and then gold and silver foils cut in various patterns are pasted on. Lacquer is applied again, and removed only from the foil patterns so that their silver and gold colors shine through. This is the heidatsu technique.

Tsubokura: The mirror patterns on another piece on display, Kacho Hai no Hakkakukyo, aren't as easy to see because it was repaired.

Sekine: A thief stole eight mirrors, including this one, from Shoso-in's north warehouse in 1230. The thief crushed them into pieces, thinking they were made of expensive silver. But the mirror was made of cupronickel. Its 45 pieces were reassembled in the Meiji period (1868-1912). The six parts that are missing have been reproduced.

The mirror bears the images of a pair of parakeets or parrots. Near grapes around a hole for lace in the center, they each hold a grapevine in their beak. A long ornament hangs from each of the birds' necks.

Uemura: Indeed, the birds are parakeets with long tails. They weren't indigenous to Japan. They inhabit a subtropical zone in Southeast Asia. I think the mirror was made by craftspeople living in the zone and imported to Japan.

Satonaka: Japanese at the time were very curious and open about new things. They excitedly waited for what was coming next and were ready to accept it.

Tsubokura: Could you talk about how people used Sumie no Dankyu?

Sekine: Bows, of course, are used to shoot arrows. But this is a toy for shooting a ball.

Tsubokura: The bow bears many drawings.

Satonaka: The lively illustrations depict various types of acrobatics. For example, a very large man holds a stand on his head while others perform acrobatics on it. These very active people are drawn meticulously. They appear to be Chinese. But I was a bit disappointed because all the characters are men.

Tsubokura: A musical instrument called a "wu" will also be displayed this year. It's a bit larger than the "sho," which was used earlier in the court music performances [in this forum].

Satonaka: It's very beautiful, too. I can't believe it was made so long ago. It must have been more beautiful at the time. I feel more warmth from this kind of item, which was not made to be seen by many people, but for a single user.

Sekine: Since the instrument is inscribed with the name Todaiji, I believe it was used in ceremonies at the temple.

Uemura: I believe Seihanseki no Suzuri (an inkstone) was made with great care and enthusiasm. Craftspeople who made Shoso-in items didn't know the word "art." But the pieces made from their devoted work eventually became art. I want young people today who style themselves as artists to learn the origins of art from the items.

Tsubokura: Could you talk more about the birds depicted on the items?

Uemura: The imaginary ho-o bird on this item was drawn not only very humorously but also in a very lively manner, even though it was drawn as a pattern. I believe when this item was made, the environment was such that people felt closer to birds.

Such a vivid pattern could not be created if the painter was not well-acquainted with how birds lived in their environment. I'm envious when I imagine the lives of people [who were so familiar with birds].

Tsubokura: Now, I'll ask the audience: Have any of you seen all 58 of the past Shoso-in exhibitions? No? Is there anybody who has seen more than 30?

An audience member: I've seen 39 exhibitions. For me, Shoso-in exhibitions are an important annual event. I went there for the first time in 1950, when I was a second-year middle school student. As I worked overseas for some time, I missed some later. But as long as I was in Japan, I'd go to see them almost every year. The Shoso-in treasures are important to world history. It's amazing that they still exist.

Tsubokura: I'd like to ask the three panelists about their favorites among this year's exhibition.

Sekine: My choice is Kasen (a large felt rug), measuring as long as 2.5 meters, probably made of sheep, goat or cashmere wool. Of the 31 Kasen rugs at Shoso-in, this is one of the most beautiful.

Its large, vivid floral patterns were not created by brush, but by first making a plain color rug, removing parts of the patterns and filling the parts in with wool dyed in various colors. The colors haven't faded at all. It's marvelous. This is a work of highly skilled craftsmanship.

Satonaka: I'd choose Sumie no Dankyu. When I see old things, I can't imagine people in olden times having leisure time. I feel they worked hard all day every day. But people can't live without leisure and play. The drawings on the piece indicate it was also true a long time ago.

Uemura: I'm interested in the backgrounds on which the main pictures of the items are drawn. For instance, a hoopoe is drawn on a plain red background, while another motif is drawn on a black lacquered surface.

In putting those motifs and backgrounds together, I think the craftsman was trying to express the world the bird was living in.

I want to continue studying these backgrounds found in the annual exhibitions.

I believe the craftsmen were capable of using the solid backgrounds skillfully and painting the birds realistically. They had developed sensitivity in their close relationship with nature.

(Oct. 18, 2007)
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