Exhibition/event has ended.
Wonderland of Buddhist Hell Scenes
Mitsui Memorial Museum
Finished
SHARE
Artists
Sigeru Mizuki et al.
Approximately 2500 years ago, Buddha saw the world as a lost place where life and death repeated in an endless cycle. The confusion of this world has merely deepened in the present age, where science has advanced but war, disasters, poverty and other humanitarian crises remain constant.
Buddhism developed throughout Asia as a religion that encouraged followers to open their eyes to the truth and, through Buddha’s teachings, liberate themselves from the repetitive cycle of this world to the point of nirvana (enlightenment). Buddhism strictly requires its followers to take responsibility for their own actions. The idea of work, here referring to human actions, was linked closely with the concept of other worlds, which were believed to exist in the mind, creating a unique view of the afterlife in Buddhism. Heian Period (794-1185) Japanese Buddhist monk Genshin Eshin Sozu’s book “Ojoyoshu (Essentials of Birth in the Pure Land)” was hugely influential in Japan and increased anxiety about the implications of the afterlife. Bad actions were shown to lead to a vicious cycle where you could no longer escape the endless transmigration in the six posthumous worlds, suffering more severe hardships than in the current world as you are pushed down to the darkness of fear, anxiety and despair. Fantastic depictions of Hell emerged from renderings of the six posthumous worlds, with exquisite details of the terrible realm of the afterlife crystallized in various paintings, sculptures, craft items and so on.
This exhibition explores views of life and death held by the Japanese, especially from the early modern period onward, through artistic depictions of Hell. You can enjoy a selection of these stunning and somewhat fun works presented here.
Buddhism developed throughout Asia as a religion that encouraged followers to open their eyes to the truth and, through Buddha’s teachings, liberate themselves from the repetitive cycle of this world to the point of nirvana (enlightenment). Buddhism strictly requires its followers to take responsibility for their own actions. The idea of work, here referring to human actions, was linked closely with the concept of other worlds, which were believed to exist in the mind, creating a unique view of the afterlife in Buddhism. Heian Period (794-1185) Japanese Buddhist monk Genshin Eshin Sozu’s book “Ojoyoshu (Essentials of Birth in the Pure Land)” was hugely influential in Japan and increased anxiety about the implications of the afterlife. Bad actions were shown to lead to a vicious cycle where you could no longer escape the endless transmigration in the six posthumous worlds, suffering more severe hardships than in the current world as you are pushed down to the darkness of fear, anxiety and despair. Fantastic depictions of Hell emerged from renderings of the six posthumous worlds, with exquisite details of the terrible realm of the afterlife crystallized in various paintings, sculptures, craft items and so on.
This exhibition explores views of life and death held by the Japanese, especially from the early modern period onward, through artistic depictions of Hell. You can enjoy a selection of these stunning and somewhat fun works presented here.
Schedule | Jul 15 (Sat) 2017-Sep 3 (Sun) 2017 Opening Hours Information
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Adults ¥1200, University and High School Students ¥700, Junior High School Students and Under free. Special Exhibition: Adults ¥1500, University and High School Students ¥1000, Junior High School Students and Under free. | ||||
| Venue | Mitsui Memorial Museum http://www.mitsui-museum.jp/english/english.html  | ||||
| Location | 7F Mitsui Honkan, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022 | ||||
| Access | 3 minute walk from exit A7 at Mitsukoshimae Station on the Ginza and Hanzomon lines, 4 minute walk from exit B11 at Nihombashi Station on the Ginza and Tozai lines or Toei Asakusa line, 7 minute walk from Nihombashi exit of JR Tokyo Station. | ||||
| Phone | 050-5541-8600 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
Back to Articles
SHARE
No comments yet