Exhibition ‘Honen and Shinran: Treasures Related to the Great Masters of the Kamakura Buddhism’ Opened

On October 25, the exhibition titled ‘Honen and Shinran: Treasures Related to the Great Masters of the Kamakura Buddhism’ opened at the Tokyo National Museum (until December 4). It commemorated the 800^th anniversary of the passing of Hōnen, founder of the Jōdō sect of Buddhism, and the 750^th anniversary of the passing of Shinran, founder of the Jōdo Shinshū of Buddhism. It gathered outstanding works from related temples, displaying approximately 190 works and materials, including around one hundred National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. It consisted of four chapters: Chapter 1 ‘The Founders and Their Teachings’; Chapter 2 ‘Illustrated Biographies of Honen and Shinran’; Chapter 3 ‘Honen and His Fellows, and Shinran and His Fellows’; and Chapter 4 ‘The Spread of Pure Land Teachings’. This exhibition marked the first occasion on which renowned treasures associated with the two founders were brought together in one place. (Japanese)