The Silk Road once flourished as a transportation route between East and West. The name was first used in the 19th century by the German geographer Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen in his book "China" (vol. 1, 1877) as "Seidenstrassen," the German plural for silk road. As the name implies, it refers to a grand trade route extending from China, the silk-producing region, all the way to Rome. The world became richer through the exchange of not only cultural products, but also information, science, and people of all kinds along this route. The Silk Road reached Egypt via Rome, then China, Korea, and Japan, and became a road of culture, information, and people. Okinawa was also influenced by the trade during the Ryukyu Kingdom period.
    This exhibition introduces 116 works by painter Hirayama Ikuo, who loved the Silk Road and selected treasures. In addition, as a special exhibition, we will display Japanese Buddhist statues produced from the early Kamakura to Muromachi periods, which are being exhibited for the first time, as well as valuable Buddhist statues produced by the great Buddhist sculptor in Kyoto, Matsuhisa Sorin (the Great Buddhist Master of Shitennoji Temple and Narita Shinshoji Temple), and the standing Yakushi Nyorai statue housed in Toshodaiji Temple in Nara, which was created by a Buddhist statue sculptor in the Heisei period. This is an opportunity to reflect on the long history of the Silk Road, which spans over 7,000 kilometers.
We hope that you will take some time to think about it.

 

 

　1.  IKUO HIRAYAMA's Silkroad Series
　2.  IKUO HIRAYAMA's Works
　3.  Egypt 
　4.  Medierranean Sea
　5.  West Asia
　6.  Central Asia, Gandhara, India
　7.  East Asia
　8.  SORIN MATSUHISA, Great Buddhist Image Maker

 

Download the flyer here