Koyasan: Senju's Works of Art 1,200 Years After Kūkai

Preview: Koyasan: Senju's Works of Art 1,200 Years After Kūkai

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About the Work

Koyasan: Senju's Works of Art 1,200 Years After Kūkai is a tribute to both the celebrated contemporary Japanese artist Senju Hiroshi and the Japanese Buddhist monk Kūkai, who is credited with founding the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The book focuses on the sacred Kongobuji Temple, the headquarters of the Shingon sect located atop Mount Koya in the Wakayama Prefecture of Japan. Kūkai founded his center for his esoteric doctrine on Mount Koya, where he found enlightenment 1200 years ago, inspired by the surrounding pine trees, rocks, and streams. Today, people regularly travel to visit the Kongobuji temple to honor Kūkai, an important figure in Japan.

To celebrate the 1200 years since Kūkai's foundation, the temple invited Senju Hiroshi to create site-specific works. Appropriately titled Waterfall and Cliff, the works consist of two monumental mural paintings, inspired by the tranquil environment surrounding the temple, which served as a muse to Kūkai in his poetry and work as a monk. The murals are installed in the room in the temple where a ceremony takes place to honor new monks joining the Buddhist sect, serving as a momentous reminder of Kūkai and his vision.

With Koyasan as the main character, this book includes quotes from Kūkai's poems, generous installation views of Senju's works at the temple, as well as images of modern-day monks and their rituals honoring Kūkai. The book is indicative of the quiet meditative peace and honor of Kūkai, and it also presents Japanese national treasures such as statues and artifacts that belong to the temple's collection. The beautifully made tome features a text by the head monk telling the story of Kūkai from birth and how he came to Koyasan, a text from Senju Hiroshi himself about his connection with Kūkai, and the journey to produce the paintings.

About the Author

Senju Hiroshi is a world-renowned Japanese artist who specializes in large-scale paintings. He completed his studies at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1987 and his work is featured in many prominent museums globally, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. Notable public projects by him include seventy-seven murals at Jukoin of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, monumental waterfalls at Tokyo International Airport and the Art Institute of Chicago, and two installations at The Benesse Art Site of Naoshima Island. In 1995, he became the first Asian artist to receive an Honorable Mention Award at the Venice Biennale in Italy. Senju Hiroshi served as the president of Kyoto University of Art and Design from 2007 to 2013 and is currently a professor at the university's graduate school.

Rev. Soeda Ryusho was born in Koyasan, Japan, in 1947 and graduated from Kyoto University in 1972, majoring in literature. He became the chief priest of Rengejoin in Koyasan in 1987, and later worked at Koyasan Shingon School and served as principal at Koyasan Senior High School before being appointed as the president of Koyasan Shingon Sect Headquarters at Kongobuji Temple and Koyasan University in 2021.

Jumonji Bishin, born in Yokohama in 1947, is a renowned photographer who started working in the field in 1971. He has presented his works in several exhibitions, including New Japanese Photography at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1974, Courtly Splendor at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1990, and Japanische Fotografie at the Museum der Moderne Salzburg in 2018. He was a professor at Tama Art University from 2004 to 2014 and has received numerous awards and published several photo books in Japan. He continues to present his works to this day.

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Number of pages: 145
Number of illustrations: over 100
Language: English
Released in: February 2022
Size: W 39.7 x L 47.4 x H 8 cm
Weight: 7.484 kg
Further features: Hardcover volume in a luxury clamshell case
ISBN: 9781649800626

1 – 2 weeks delivery time

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