Left: Seated Bodhisattva Maitreya with crossed legs
Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century
Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum
Right: Important Cultural Property
Seated Bodhisattva Maitreya with one leg pendent
Hakuhō period, dated 666 (Tenji 5)
Yachū-ji, Osaka
The two colossal Buddhas carved into a hillside in Bamiyan and the murals adorning the niches were destroyed in March 2001, when the Islamic fundamentalist organization Taliban blew up the archaeological site in Afghanistan, which is often cited as the crossroads of civilization. However, Japanese researchers in recent years were able to create elaborate line drawings of the murals depicting what is said to be the Zoroastrian sun god Mithra and the Tushita heaven, where the future Buddha Maitreya is believed to reside, based on detailed photographs and other related materials.
The Crossroads of Civilization
The Bamiyan Giant Buddhas
Sun God and Maitreya Beliefs from Gandhara to JapanSep 14 (Sat) – Nov 12 (Tue), 2024
Mitsui Memorial Museum
(Nihonbashi, Tokyo)*See outline below for details
The line drawings (ink on paper), made by Kyoto City University of Arts Associate Professor Masako Shogaki in 1/10 scale under supervision of Nagoya University Professor Emeritus Akira Miyaji, were featured in an exhibition titled “The Bamiyan Giant Buddhas — Sun God and Maitreya Beliefs from Gandhara to Japan,” which ran at the Ryukoku Museum in Kyoto earlier this year (2024). The same exhibition is coming to Tokyo this fall to be held at the Mitsui Memorial Museum.
The exhibition in Tokyo, set to open on Sept. 14, 2024, will again highlight the line drawings, which can serve as future reference for furthering the study of Maitreya beliefs in ancient Central Asia, which eventually spread to East Asia, including Japan. Buddhist statues of the Maitreya belonging to the Gandhara idiom — such as the “Seated Bodhisattva Maitreya with crossed legs” (2nd-3rd century; top left photo) — as well as those from Buddhist temples and other institutions in Japan — such as the “Seated Bodhisattva Maitreya with one leg pendent” (dated 666; top right photo) of Yachu-ji temple in Osaka, a designated important cultural property — will also go on display.
Other items to go on display:
Miniature votive stūpa
Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century
Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum
Outline of the event
Schedule
Sat, Sep 14, 2024〜Tue, Nov 12, 2024
The Crossroads of Civilization
The Bamiyan Giant Buddhas
Sun God and Maitreya Beliefs from Gandhara to Japan
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(Last admission at 4:30 p.m.)
Museum website Venue
Mitsui Memorial Museum
Mitsui Main Building 7th floor
2-1-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi
Chuo Ward, Tokyo Admission
Adults: 1,500 yen (1,300 yen)
University/High school students: 1,000 yen (900 yen)
Junior high school students and under: Free
Visitors aged 70 and above: 1,200 yen
*( )→Per person in groups of 20 or more people
*Admission free for visitors with disabilities and one accompanying person (Presentation of ID required)
Closing day
Sep 24 (Tue), 30 (Mon)
Oct 7 (Mon), 15 (Tue), 21 (Mon), 28 (Mon)
Nov 5 (Tue)
Contact
Tel. 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial)
