Saidai-ji Temple, Nara: The Treasures of Eison and his School

In 2015, Nara's Saidaiji Temple, a listed World Heritage site and one of this ancient capital's 'seven great temples', celebrated 1,250 years since its founding. Said commemoration also provided the spark behind this touring exhibition, which now begins its three-stop tour of Japan at the Mitsui Museum in Nihonbashi. It highlights the efforts of 13th-century monk Eison, founder of the Shingon Risshu sect of Buddhism and the man credited with restoring Saidaiji's good name after the temple had fallen on hard times during the Heian era. See treasures such as statues, scrolls and documents from the time of Eison himself as well as from later centuries, and appreciate the legacy of an artistic and spiritual school that survives to this day.