Overview

Famed for its spring verdure and autumn foliage, Tōfuku-ji is one of Kyoto’s most important Zen temples. It was established during the early Kamakura period on order of the imperial regent and advisor Kujō Michiie (1193–1252). Michiie entrusted the founding to Enni (Shōichi Kokushi, 1202–1280), a priest who had previously traveled to China to study Zen (Ch: Chan) Buddhism. The name "Tōfuku-ji" was taken from the first character of Tōdai-ji and the second character of Kōfuku-ji, both grand, ancient temples in Nara. Tōfuku-ji is especially known for its expansive temple precincts, boasting an array of colossal structures dating back as far as the medieval period.

This exhibition offers the rare opportunity to view a large number of Tōfuku-ji’s greatest treasures in a single venue. Notably, the legendary Buddhist painter Minchō’s Five Hundred Arhats, a set of originally fifty hanging scrolls, is being displayed in its entirety for the first time since its multiyear conservation was completed. Many of the precious cultural properties from Tōfuku-ji in this exhibition somehow survived the fires and destruction of the Ōnin War of 1467–77. These include masterpieces of Buddhist sculpture, painting, and calligraphy befitting the monumental scale of this monastic complex.

Tōfuku-ji’s history itself exemplifies the cosmopolitan culture of Zen Buddhism that blossomed through exchanges with the rest of Asia. In exploring this temple’s significance within Japanese culture, the exhibition illuminates Tōfuku-ji’s enduring appeal from its founding through the present.