National Treasure Heian Buddhist Paintings in the Tokyo National Museum
This webpage introduces the outcomes of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties’ optical studies jointly conducted with the Tokyo National Museum on four Buddhist paintings in the Museum’s collection belonging to the Heian period. They are pictures of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Ākāshagarbha Bodhisattva, Sahasrabhuja Avalokitesvara, and Mahamayuri vidyaraja, which are designated National Treasures.
Old Buddhis paintings are faded in color, should be appreciated in dim illumination to protect the artworks. They are also kept in display cases and should be observed by keeping distance. For these reasons, it is sometimes difficult to enjoy their attractiveness, even the artisans in Heian period drew delicate patterns on the garment and ornaments of the Buddha to make a fine depiction in a picture of the world of Buddha transcending this world.
To trace the painting process and observe the details of materials used for the paintings, we photographed the Buddhist paintings in Heian period by using different lighting and different photography methods. We also analyzed the elements contained in the materials to determine what they are. We believe we were able to know some of the skills of artisans who painted Buddha images by conducting these investigations.
We hope you will enjoy the delicacy and colorfulness of the Buddhis paintings in Heian period through this webpage.