Koyasan Art Days 2023

10/16（Mon）〜12/15（Fri）

TOPICS

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Koyasan Art Days 2023 explores the sacred world of Koyasan through the lens of art in the year that marks the 1,250th birth anniversary of Kobo Daishi Kukai, a renowned Japanese monk.

Koyasan is home to numerous spectacular Buddhist architectures, with each temple as well as the Reihokan Museum—built specifically to preserve and exhibit cultural works—holding countless valuable religious art pieces, including those designated as national treasures. Strenuous efforts in research and restoration have been made to preserve and pass on these architectural and artistic masterpieces, which in turn has served to convey the unfathomable charms of Buddhist art to modern society at large.

By creating a crossing where Koyasan’s Buddhist art meets contemporary productions, Koyasan Art Days invites participants to savor the artistic creations of this holy mountain from a brand new perspective. During this period, visitors can enjoy contemporary art exhibitions and concerts at the main temple Kongobuji and other selected sites within Koyasan, night visits of Kongobuji and Reihokan Museum, garden light-ups, and art exhibitions at affiliated temples. We welcome visitors from all over the world to discover the infinite enchantments of Koyasan by joining us at this unique crossroad of the past and now.

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

I would like to extend my greetings on the occasion of holding “Koyasan Art Days 2023”.
Firstly, I would like to thank Kongobuji Temple, the University of Tokyo's Research Center for Advanced Technology, and many others for their cooperation in this project.
The world is in the midst of the "with corona" period, and various activities are becoming more and more active. In line with this, we feel that tourism in Koya Town is recovering.

Under such circumstances, we have prepared special events not usually found in Koyasan, such as art exhibitions in a special spaces in the sacred Koya Mountain, music concerts by the concertmaster of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and traditional Japanese musicians with connections to Wakayama Prefecture, and nighttime visits to Kongobuji Temple and Reihokan during the period until December 15. The Executive Committee hopes that this event will lead to new possibilities for tourism in Koyasan.

In addition, we have also prepared multilingual interpretation boards for the Reihokan, which houses and exhibits Buddhist artifacts from Koyasan, known as the "Shosoin". We believe that this will enable us to convey the value of Koyasan more deeply to people overseas.

We hope that many people around the world will take this opportunity to experience the profound charm of Koyasan.

We sincerely look forward to your visit to our town.

Koyasan Art Festival Executive Committee,
Chairman (Koya Town Mayor)
Mr. Yoshiya Hirano

Public Art Exhibition& Illumination

10/16 - 12/15

Admission free

Up-and-coming young artists will create public art inspired by Koyasan’s artistic works and set them up in the garden of Kongobuji and near the entrances of the Reihokan Museum and Daishi Kyokaii. Visitors can delight in the remarkable setup featuring a light-up with autumn leaves in the background after dusk.

Mandala Tower

Tamae Hirokawa

Tsutsumu

Yuko Bito

Rose

Hideki Yoshimoto

Learn more

Art Days Concert

Admission free
No reservation required

Unique concerts held in Kongobuji and other exquisite spaces surrounded with Esoteric Buddhism art. Participants can immerse themselves engaging all five of their senses in classical music performed by musicians including Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster Kaoru Kondo (specially-appointed professor at RCAST, University of Tokyo), as well as performances by traditional Japanese music units formed by members originally from Wakayama Prefecture.

String Quintet

10/24　19:15 - 20:30
10/25　13:00 - 14:15
Kongobuji

Participating artists

Violin: Kaoru Kondo and Natsumi Tsuboi
Viola: Sachiko Suda
Cello: Misaki Kurokawa and Hiroki Kadowaki

Program

F. Schubert’s: String Quintet in C major D.956

KEY TRAD.

11/6　19:15 - 20:15
11/7　11:00 - 12:00
Daishi Kyokai

Artists

Shinichi Kinoshita, Yoko Nishi, Yoshimi Tsujimoto, Eri Uenoyama, and Kazumasa Ohya

Wind Quintet

11/9　19:15 - 20:30
Daishi Kyokai
11/10　13:00 - 14:15
Kongobuji

Artists

Flute: Misato Takimoto
Oboe: Kanami Araki
Clarinet: Taira Kaneko
Horn: Nobuaki Fukukaw
Bassoon: Tetsuya Cho

Program

Sadao Bekku’s: Japanese Suite No.1
Toshio Hosokawa’s: Ancient Voices
Taffanel’s: Wind Quintet, and more

Special Night Opening of Kongobuji

10/16 - 10/20・
10/23 - 10/27 17:30 - 20:30
（Last admission at20:00）

Visitors can enjoy Kongobuji during the night along with the light-up of public art works. The illumination of Banryutei, one of the largest rock gardens in Japan built in 1981, will also offer a spectacular sight. Visitors can indulge in the extraordinary experience of seeing Kongobuji during the dark hours.
The Kongobuji monks will perform the Ropparamitsu (six virtues that a Buddha elect practices to attain enlightenment) at the Betsuden.

Special Night Opening of Reihokan Museum

10/30 - 11/3

The entrance will be lit up along with the autumn foliage and public art works, creating an extraordinary atmosphere. In the tranquillity of the night, visitors indulge in the invaluable masterpieces of Koyasan, including national treasures, all in the privacy of a guided tour. As a new initiative, the curator’s explanations will be offered in two languages (Japanese and English).

Guided Tours of Reihokan Museum

Course1

Reihokan Museum · Digital Museum · Danjogaran Art tour

18:30-	Reihokan Museum viewing tour	（45min）
Reihokan Museum viewing tour	（45min）
19:25-	Danjogaran Night tour	（30min）
Danjogaran Night tour	（30min）
20:05-	Digital Museum	（20min）
Digital Museum	（20min）
20:30-	Disbandment at the Site
Disbandment at the Site

Admission fee
Regular：
2,000yen
E.S.student and J.H.S.student：
1,000yen

Course2

Reihokan Museum · Digital Museum
Relaxed tour

18:40-	Viewing original contents
Viewing original contents
	at Digital Museum	（45min）
at Digital Museum	（45min）
19:30-	Reihokan Museum viewing tour	（20min）
Reihokan Museum viewing tour	（20min）
20:30-	Disbandment at the Site
Disbandment at the Site

Admission fee
Regular：
2,000yen
E.S.student and J.H.S.student：
1,000yen

● Including admission fee of Reihokan Museum and Digital Museum
● Each course capacity: 30 people
● Rain or Shine
● Cancellation is not allowed after application

Contact :
+81 736-26-8507

The guided tour has concluded on a positive note

LIFE® — Re-experience Birth —
Koyasan Special Screening

Admission free
No reservation required
Film will also be shown in rainy weather

11/2　18:00 - 18:45　Garan Konpon Daito

The art film LIFE will be shown on a special screen set up for a single night at Danjo Garan, an especially sacred place in Koyasan. Viewers are invited to immerse themselves in the collaborative world of film and space of sanctuary.