Reflections on Viewing Ito Jakuchu's 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' at Shokoku-ji Temple

A time of prayer and beauty unfolding in the Hojo

I recently visited Shokoku-ji Temple in Kyoto.
My purpose was to view the 30 collotype reproductions of Ito Jakuchu's 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' displayed in the Hojo (abbot's quarters) in conjunction with the Kannon Senpo-e service.
This memorial service is held on June 17th as a Kannon Senpo-e ancestral memorial service, and the Hojo had been open to the public for a few days prior. I visited on June 8th. At the reception, I paid the 1,000 yen memorial offering and signed the guestbook.
Stepping into the dimly lit Ume-no-ma (Plum Room), I was met with the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' lined up at a height above my eye level. Overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere, I found myself standing still. Eventually, I regained my composure and moved to the Chu-no-ma (Middle Room). In the center hung the 'White-Robed Kannon' by Kichizan Mincho, with Jakuchu's Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas on either side. I sat seiza in front of the three scrolls and quietly pressed my hands together in prayer.
This is not an art museum. It is a place of memorial service, and my visit was not for 'viewing' but for 'worship.'
While viewing the 30 scrolls of the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' lined up across the Ume-no-ma, Chu-no-ma, and Matsu-no-ma (Pine Room) one by one, I sat seiza again in the corner of the Chu-no-ma to take in the whole. All living things danced within this space of prayer. Could there be a more blissful time? Tears welled up in my eyes.
There were about a dozen other worshippers in the Hojo, but because of its size, it never felt crowded. It was a quiet and precious time.

The Colorful Realm of Living Beings and its history

'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' is a work donated by the genius Edo-period painter Ito Jakuchu (1716–1800) to his close friend, Zen Master Daiten (Baisho Kenjo) of Shokoku-ji Temple.
In the 7th year of Meiwa (1770), wishing for eternal memorial services for his ancestors, he dedicated the 30 scrolls of the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' to Shokoku-ji, along with three Buddhist paintings (Shakyamuni, Manjusri, and Samantabhadra).
It is said that these 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' scrolls were displayed every year on June 17th during the Kannon Senpo-e service, with Kichizan Mincho's 'White-Robed Kannon' in the center, flanked by the Kannon paintings of Manjusri and Samantabhadra, and 15 scrolls each in the Ume-no-ma and Matsu-no-ma. The solemnity of that sight is beyond imagination.
However, time passed, and the political upheaval of the Meiji Restoration occurred. The government issued the 'Ordinance Distinguishing Shinto and Buddhism' and the 'Great Promulgation of the Shinto Religion,' dealing a heavy blow to temples across Japan. This was the so-called 'Haibutsu Kishaku' (abolition of Buddhism).
Shokoku-ji also suffered from this, falling into financial distress, and in 1889, it donated the 30 scrolls of the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' to the Imperial Household.
Currently, they are owned and managed by the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan.
In 2007, for the first time in 120 years, all 30 scrolls returned to Shokoku-ji's Jotenkaku Museum for a special exhibition. At that time, with the permission of the Imperial Household Agency, collotype reproductions were produced, and since 2014, they have been displayed in the Hojo during the Kannon Senpo-e service, just as they were in the past.
Currently, the Sannomaru Shozokan is closed until the autumn of 2026. Perhaps because of this, the original 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' paintings are being lent out to various exhibitions, and I have seen two of them displayed at the 'Japan National Treasure Exhibition' at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts and the 'Super National Treasure Exhibition' at the Nara National Museum. However, their true form is only realized when all 30 scrolls are together.

Where the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' should be

This time, by viewing the 30 scrolls of the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' in the Hojo—even if they were reproductions—I felt strongly the significance of appreciating them in a space of prayer.
Currently, the original paintings are within the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, but I question whether that is truly where the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings' belongs. Shokoku-ji parted with the works due to unavoidable circumstances caused by political upheaval and government policy. If that is the case, should we not reconsider this now?
Is it not a sign of respect for culture to return cultural assets to their 'rightful place'? At the very least, I believe it would be appropriate for them to be housed at Shokoku-ji's Jotenkaku Museum or the Kyoto National Museum.
Furthermore, I have doubts about whether the current practice of lending them out to various museums in 'pieces' of a few scrolls at a time is truly in line with the essence of the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings'.

The depth of the city of Kyoto

I learned about this memorial service and exhibition through a Yomiuri Shimbun online news article I happened to see on the internet. There was no detailed information on the Shokoku-ji official website, and it did not seem to be widely promoted. It was strictly a 'memorial service,' not a 'public exhibition.' That is precisely why I felt the authentic culture of Kyoto there.
When I visited, a quiet time based on faith was flowing, and it was a world apart from tourism or events.
In Kyoto, such 'unknown events' quietly exist within daily life. I previously wrote about my experience seeing the portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo during the airing of treasures at Jingo-ji Temple (reference link), and I was reaffirmed that Kyoto is a place where unknown cultural assets are protected and live on within daily prayers.

In conclusion

I spent time touching upon the Kannon Senpo-e service at Shokoku-ji, praying before Jakuchu's Buddhist paintings, and being enveloped by the 'Colorful Realm of Living Beings.' It was not merely an art appreciation experience, but one that touched the depths of my heart.
'Where should cultural assets be?' 'What is the true form of a cultural asset?'—I am turning these questions over and over in my mind.