Suntory Museum of Art
Exhibitions
Treasures from the Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto

Treasures from the Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto

November 30, 2022 to January 22, 2023

*Download the list of changes in works on display
*There will be an exhibition change during the course of exhibition.
*The period is subject to change.

At the end of the gently-sloping Shichijo-dori street in Higashiyama, Kyoto sits Chishakuin, the main head temple of the Shingon Chisan sect and its approximately 3,000 branch temples across Japan.
Chishakuin has faithfully transmitted the academic traditions of Shingon Buddhism, the school established by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai) (774–835). It was built during the mid-Muromachi period (1392–1573) to serve as a sub-temple for Negoro-ji, a temple in Kii province (present-day Wakayama prefecture) founded by Kōgyō Daishi (Kakuban) (1095–1143), the priest who revived Shingon Buddhism on Mount Kōya. Chishakuin declined during the Tensho era (1573–1591), but it was restored during the early Edo period on temple lands granted by Tokugawa Ieyasu. This bestowal included Shōunzen-ji (Shōun-ji), a temple built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to memorialize his dead son Tsurumatsu (Sutemaru), with Chishakuin also inheriting the polychrome-and-gold wall paintings adorning Shōunzen-ji’s kyakuden (guest hall). Painted by Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) and his pupils, these wall paintings were subsequently passed down carefully to the present day through Chishakuin.
Never before have National Treasure wall paintings like Maple Tree and Cherry Blossom Tree been displayed together outside the temple, with this exhibition providing a precious chance to appreciate the resplendent lyricism of Momoyama-period art. In fact, the exhibition will display many of Chishakuin’s valuable treasures, from the National Treasure Kongō kyō (Diamond Sutra) and the Important Cultural Property Kujaku Myōō (Mahamayuri Vidyaraja) to the outstanding Buddhist artworks that adorn Chishakuin’s Buddha Hall and rarely-shown sliding door paintings by Dōmoto Inshō (1891–1975).

Movies about the exhibition

Works from the exhibition

Period

November 30, 2022 to January 22, 2023

*Download the list of changes in works on display
*There will be an exhibition change during the course of exhibition.
*The period is subject to change.

Hours

10:00-18:00　*Friday and Saturday 10:00-20:00

*Open until 20:00 on January 8
*Last admission: 30 minutes before closing
*Hours are subject to change.

Closed

Tuesdays, December 30 to January 1

*Open until 18:00 on January 17

Admission

Adult	General ¥1,500	Advance ¥1,300
University and High School Student	General ¥1,000	Advance ¥800

Elementary, junior high school students and under are free.
*With a certificate of disability, the admission fee of a disabled person and a care-giver will be waived.
*Advance tickets will be available on the website from September 14 to November 29.

Discount

◇100 Yen Discount
•For presenting a ticket to a thematic exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo, or Mori Art Museum

*Only one discount per person

Audio Guide

¥600

English audio guide available

Organized by

Suntory Museum of Art, Chishakuin Temple, The Asahi Shimbun

Treasures from the Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto

SUNTORY MUSEUM of ART