Exhibition ‘Five Hundred Disciples of Buddha by Kano Kazunobu, Zojoji Temple Treasures: Buddhist Images and the Artist Kano Kazunobu at the End of the Edo Period’ Opened

On April 29, the exhibition titled ‘Five Hundred Disciples of Buddha by Kano Kazunobu, Zojoji Temple Treasures: Buddhist Images and the Artist Kano Kazunobu at the End of the Edo Period’ opened at the Edo-Tokyo Museum (until July 3). It brought together the complete set of one hundred scrolls depicting the Five Hundred Arhats painted mainly by the late-Edo period artist KANŌ Kazunobu, which was devoted to Zōjōji temple, alongside other works by Kazunobu, depicting the Five Hundred Arhats. Originally scheduled to open on March 15, the exhibition was postponed due to the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11. Commemorating the 800^th anniversary of the death of Hōnen, the special exhibition featured the complete Zōjōji temple collection – previously only partially displayed due to the large scale of the works. It offered a rare opportunity to appreciate the profoundly distinctive artistic style of KANŌ Kazunobu, characterized by his rich use of Western-inspired perspective and chiaroscuro techniques. (Japanese)