Kokuhoden Museum, Mt. Hiei.
Kokuhoden Museum exhibition room.
The Kokuhoden Museum on Mt. Hiei is a treasure hall that stores and exhibits cultural assets such as sculptures, paintings, and calligraphic works, including national treasures and important cultural properties, owned by Enryakuji Temple. Established in 1992, it houses numerous valuable temple treasures, including original manuscripts written by the famous Buddhist monk Saicho, as well as Buddhist statues and paintings dating back to the Heian period. The name "Kokuho," meaning "national treasure," derives from a phrase written by Saicho in the Sange Gakusho Shiki: "Light up your corner, in this way you will be a national treasure." Through Buddhist art, the museum aims to provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about the history and culture of Enryakuji Temple, as well as to deepen their understanding of traditional Japanese culture.
Seated Shaka Nyorai (Skt. Śākyamuni) and Eighteen Arhats.
Buddhist paintings and folding screens.
Konponchūdō hall in the Enryaku-ji Temple.
Hokke Sōji-in Tōdo Pagoda in Enryaku-ji Temple.
Main works
Standing Senju Kannon (Skt. Sahasrabhujāvalokiteśvara).
This Thousand-armed Kannon statue was once housed in the Sanno-in Hall of Mt. Hiei. The Thousand-armed Kannon is one of the six forms of Kannon (Bodhisattva of Compassion) and is believed to rescue people from suffering with its thousand hands and eyes. Carved from a single piece of Japanese plum-yew from the head to the lotus pedestal at its feet, it is painted in ochre on a white clay ground. All the arms, except those in a praying position and those holding a bowl, are later additions. With large eyes and a prominent nose, this statue exhibits a dignified appearance, reminiscent of the early Heian period, and is considered a masterful piece of Buddhist sculpture.
Standing Senju Kannon (Skt. Sahasrabhujāvalokiteśvara).
Five Great Wisdom Kings (Fudō Myōō with Two Acolytes of a set of seven)
These statues of the Five Great Wisdom Kings have been preserved in the Myoo-do Hall of Mudoji Temple on Mt. Hiei. Established in 865 by Buddhist monk Soo (831-918), Mudoji Temple is the main training center for the mountain ascetic practice of the Tendai sect. A Kamakura-era diagram of the Mudoji Temple's main hall found in the Mon'yoki shows a miniature zushi enshrining a Fudo Myoo statue made by Soo and surrounded by the statues of Fudo Myoo with Nidoji and the other Four Wisdom Kings. These are believed to be the original statues. Fudo Myoo, a joined-block wooden statue with inlaid crystal eyes, has a vibrant expression and dynamic forms, showing evident influence of the great Buddhist sculptor Unkei. It is considered to be the work of Tankei, Unkei's eldest son, or a contemporary Kei school sculptor.
Five Great Wisdom Kings (Fudō Myōō with Two Acolytes of a set of seven)
- Seated Yakushi Nyorai (Skt. Bhaiṣajyaguru) .
- Standing Kōmokuten (Skt. Virūpākṣa) and Tamonten (Vaiśravaṇa).
- Essential Teachings for Tendai Lotus Sect Priests.
- Inventory of Objects Brought from China to Japan by Saichō.
- Fudō Myōō (Skt. Acala), Three Acolytes, and Five Attendants.
- Hie Sannō Honjibutsu Mandara (Original Buddhist Forms Mandala of the Sannō Deities) .
- Sutra Box with Auspicious Flowers and Arabesques.
- Sutra Box with Auspicious Hōsōge Flower Design.
