Special Exhibition: Paradise on Earth - Hangzhou and the Wuyue Kingdom

Event overview

As the saying goes, "Tian you tiantang, di you Su Hang" (just as heaven has paradise, earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou). Hangzhou in Jiangnan has long been an object of admiration, both as a fertile and bountiful land and as a place of scenic beauty represented by West Lake. The Special Exhibition "Paradise on Earth - Hangzhou and the Wuyue Kingdom: Faith and Beauty Crossing the Sea" traces the beautiful image of Hangzhou and focuses on Hangzhou as an international cultural city, looking at the widely intersecting flows of culture involving Japan in the Heian period, Goryeo, the Dali Kingdom, and others.

Hangzhou was also a key point of maritime traffic as a trading port, and through the Qiantang River embankment work and the development of canals under Qian Liu, the first king of Wuyue, and the activities of sea merchants, it played a role in connecting cultures as an international city. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (10th century), Wuyue, which had Hangzhou as its capital, saw Buddhism flourish and was filled with temples and pagodas, beginning with Jingci Temple. The "Qian Hongchu 84,000 Pagodas," which the fifth king, Qian Hongchu, vowed to make, have been found in Japan in greater numbers than anywhere else in East Asia, apart from the areas that were Wuyue territory. In recent years, active excavations in China have made it known that Wuyue Buddhism remained rooted among the common people during and after the Northern Song period.

There are 77 works on display, with some works changed between the first half and the second half. Organizers: Yamato Bunka Kan (public interest incorporated foundation) and Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd. Co-organizer: The Mainichi Newspapers. Exhibition grant: Japan Arts Fund.

Exhibition structure and main works

• *Chapter One**: "Paradise on Earth, Hangzhou - A City Protected by the Beautiful West Lake." Through works such as the West Lake Painting (which depicts West Lake, a scenic spot in Hangzhou) and Yue ware celadon, the chapter traces the image of a beautiful city in which man-made structures and historic sites interweave with nature. Works on display include the West Lake Painting (Important Cultural Property. By Shugetsu Tokan, Muromachi period, held by Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art) and a celadon shard with incised dragon design (one of the shards collected at Yue kiln sites. China, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to Northern Song period, 10th-11th century, held by Tokyo National Museum).
• *Chapter Two**: "Fan zai youqing, xi zhan miaoxi" - May the Pure Land be within all things. The chapter takes a fresh look at the Buddhist culture of Wuyue, born in the interval between the Tang and the Song, and examines how it spread across East Asia through books and cultural objects. It looks at the core of Wuyue Buddhism, rooted in the Buddhist faith of Jiangnan that has deep ties to Japan. Works on display include Qian Hongchu 84,000 Pagodas (China, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, 10th century, private collection) and Zongjing lu, volume One (National Treasure. By Yongming Yanshou, with a preface by Qian Chu, China, Southern Song period, 12th century, held by Daigoji Temple, Kyoto).
• *Chapter Three**: Faith in and development of the "Qian Hongchu pagodas" in Japan - in the 10th century, in an age of turmoil, the prayers of a king devoted to Buddhism quietly spread, and then crossed the sea. Through the making of sutras and Buddha images, the representative achievements of King Qian Hongchu of Wuyue, the chapter traces the influence they had on Japan. Works on display include Rokudo-e (Important Cultural Property. Kamakura period, 13th century, held by Gokurakuji Temple, Hyogo) and Qian Hongchu 84,000 Pagodas (Important Cultural Property. China, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, 10th century, held by Seiganji Temple, Fukuoka).
• *Chapter Four**: Hangzhou, an international city - the beauty of East Asia intersecting. Hangzhou was the capital of Wuyue and of the Southern Song, and also a place where the cultures of East Asia, such as Goryeo and Liao, came and went. Through Buddhist cultural objects, ceramics, and other works, the chapter follows the flows of culture that moved back and forth via Hangzhou. Works on display include a Celadon Nine-Dragon Purification Bottle (Important Cultural Property. Goryeo, 12th century, held by Yamato Bunka Kan) and a Gilded Kannon Bodhisattva Statue (Dali Kingdom, 12th century, held by Sen-oku Hakukokan).

Schedule

• *Exhibition period**: October 24, 2026 (Saturday) - December 6 (Sunday)
• *First half**: October 24 (Saturday) - November 15 (Sunday)
• *Second half**: November 17 (Tuesday) - December 6 (Sunday)
• *Examples of works shown in the first half**: West Lake Painting (Important Cultural Property), Huatu zanwen, volume Twenty-Seven (Important Cultural Property), Wangsheng xifang jingtu ruiying zhuan (Important Cultural Property), Rokudo-e (Important Cultural Property)
• *Examples of works shown in the second half**: Zongjing lu, volume One (National Treasure), Ogen Kannon-zu (Important Cultural Property), Yume no ki [part Ten] (Important Cultural Property), Jigoku Gokuraku-zu Byobu (Important Cultural Property)
• *Other changes in display**: The four scrolls of the Biaozhongguan Stele (rubbing) are rotated two scrolls at a time between the first half and the second half, Nanzhao Tuzhuan is shown with a scroll change, and Chonen Nyuso Guho Junrei Gyo Zuizo Zoryuki and Nyu Zuizo Gozo Gu Ki Shamotsu Chumon (National Treasure) are shown with a scroll change between the first half and the second half.
• *Closed days**: Closed on Mondays, except November 23 (a national holiday), when the museum is open; it is closed the following day, the 24th (Tuesday)
• *Opening hours**: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (last admission 4:30 p.m.)
• *Free Invitation Day**: October 30 (Friday) is Yamato Bunka Kan's opening anniversary, "Free Invitation Day."

Admission fees

• *Admission fee**: General 1,100 yen, high school and university students 770 yen, and junior high school students and younger are free.
• *Discounts**: Groups of 20 or more receive a 20% discount on the corresponding fee, and one group leader is free. Holders of a "disability certificate" and one companion receive a 20% discount.

Events during the exhibition

• *Symposium**: November 1 (Sunday), 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., lecture hall. Theme: "In Search of the Background of the 'Qian Hongchu 84,000 Pagodas': Liu Sahe and the Ashoka Pagodas in Jiangnan and Northwestern China." Presenters are from the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, the Dunhuang Academy in China, and the curatorial department of Yamato Bunka Kan. Capacity is 120 people, and advance registration is required.
• *Sunday Art Lecture**: November 15 (Sunday), 2:00 p.m., lecture hall. "The Enduring Culture and Art of Wuyue." The lecturer is a section chief of the curatorial department of Yamato Bunka Kan. Capacity is 100 people on a first-come basis on the day, and advance registration is not required.
• *Lecture**: November 29 (Sunday), 2:00 p.m., lecture hall. "Wuyue and Zen." The lecturer is an associate professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, the University of Tokyo. Capacity is 100 people on a first-come basis on the day, and advance registration is not required.
• *Gallery talk**: Every Saturday from 2:00 p.m., given by the curatorial department of Yamato Bunka Kan.

Participation in all of these is free, but the admission fee is required.

Venue

• *Venue**: Yamato Bunka Kan (Nara Prefecture)