Imaginary Space 'Striking the Silence' Daijoji Temple Thirteen Rooms | Bishin Jumonji / Shiseido Gallery

Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, faces the Sea of Japan. Here stands a temple that preserves in its entirety the barrier paintings created by Maruyama Okyo and his school. This is Daijoji, also known as 'Okyo-dera'.
I visited last February. I made the long journey because the sliding door paintings, usually kept in storage, had been returned to their original rooms for the first time in 13 years and were on limited display until March. I was grateful to be able to slowly and thoroughly enjoy the spatial beauty created by Okyo and his followers.
At that time, the primary purpose for temporarily returning the sliding door paintings was actually not for 'public viewing,' but for 'documentation.' Photography was conducted to preserve them as high-definition digital data. I was simply lucky enough to benefit from that.
One year later, on March 29 of this year, the deluxe A3-sized book 'Daijoji Thirteen Rooms: Bishin Jumonji,' which reflects the results of that photography, was published by Shogakukan.

The current exhibition at the Shiseido Gallery is based on the content of this book.
...Having said that, as one would expect from a solo exhibition, it is 'Jumonji World' in full force, featuring installations and content that goes beyond the boundaries of a typical photography exhibition.

In the largest exhibition room downstairs, the sliding door paintings of the 'Peacock Room' by Okyo were projected about 1.5 times larger than their original size.

However, something seems strange...
If you stare at the image below, can you understand the reason...?

—A face.
A large face emerges!

You might think it is just a projected image, but it is actually projection mapping, and as the reverberation of the gong's sound fades away, the face becomes clearly recognizable.

Opening these sliding doors reveals the Buddha room, where the principal image, the Eleven-faced Kannon, is enshrined. In Buddhism, the peacock is an important being said to devour worldly desires.

Contemplating what lies beyond the closed doors and forming the image of the Buddhist world intended by Okyo upon the gold leaf of the sliding door paintings... that is the aim of the presentation.
It is easy to be distracted by the gorgeous barrier paintings, but this installation reminds us that the Buddha is at the center, and that the space was originally created to surround the Buddha.

On the wall facing the peacock is a painting of monkeys by Rosetsu. It is a partial enlargement of the 'Group of Monkeys' painted on nine sliding doors on the second floor of the Daijoji guest hall, and the original painting is quite small.
Nevertheless, even when enlarged to this extent, it is extremely clear. As expected of a state-of-the-art 100-megapixel camera. It's not just for show...

Finally, using three sections of a recessed space, shots of each room in the Daijoji guest hall are shown in continuous succession. Looking around, it felt as if I had wandered into a labyrinth.

—If you see this exhibition, you will definitely want to go to Daijoji. This is true whether you have been there before like me, or have never been.
However, Daijoji is far away.
In that case, how about the new deluxe book 'Daijoji Thirteen Rooms: Bishin Jumonji'?
The price is 69,300 yen. Hmm. Should I request it at the library...

It would also be elegant to use this exhibition as an opportunity to advance to a further viewing experience.
Until October 20.

*Report on my visit to Daijoji last February.