仁和寺透かし絵図（薬師／弥陀／千手）
The Light: Ninna-ji Temple Translucent Art (Yakushi / Mida / Senju)
特別協力 総本山 仁和寺
Special Cooperation Ninna-ji Temple
越前和紙 岩野平三郎製紙所
Echizen washi (traditional Japanese paper) Iwano Heizaburo Seishisho Co., Ltd.
千五百年の歴史を誇る越前和紙と、千二百年の祈りを守り伝えてきた仁和寺の至宝が出会い、一つのアート作品が生まれました。本作は、和紙を漉く過程で文様を浮かび上がらせる「透かし」の技術を用いて、仁和寺に伝わる国宝の仏像「薬師如来」「阿弥陀如来」「千手観音」を、岩野平三郎製紙所が一子相伝で守り続ける「打ち雲紙・飛雲紙・水玉紙」の上に繊細かつ荘厳に表現したものです。作品内部に灯されたLEDの柔らかな光が、和紙の豊かな繊維を通して拡散し、幻想的に御仏の姿を映し出します。光の中に浮かび上がる曖昧な輪郭は、見る人の想像力を静かに掻き立てます。
The birth of an art piece where 1,500 years of Echizen Washi history meets the 1,200-year-old treasures of Ninnaji Temple.
Using a traditional “sukashi” technique, which creates patterns by making the paper thinner during the papermaking process, Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill has delicately and solemnly depicted the national treasures of Ninnaji Temple—the Buddha statues of Yakushi Nyorai, Amida Nyorai, and Senju Kannon. These figures are rendered on “Uchigumo-shi,” “Higumo-shi,” and “Mizutama-shi” papers, all of which are guarded through the mill’s one-of-a-kind tradition.
A soft LED light illuminates the artwork from within, its glow diffusing through the rich fibers of the washi to cast an ethereal image of the Buddhas. Their subtle, floating contours quietly stir the viewer’s imagination.
仁和寺透かし絵図（薬師／弥陀／千手）
The Light: Ninna-ji Temple Translucent Art (Yakushi / Mida / Senju)
総本山 仁和寺
Ninna-ji Temple
For the creation of this artwork, we received immense cooperation from Ninna-ji Temple, the head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism and a World Heritage site, in the form of design provision of their National Treasure Buddhist statues. We express our deepest gratitude to Ninna-ji Temple, which has protected and passed down precious cultural assets for over a millennium since its founding in 888 AD, for their generous support.
岩野平三郎製紙所
Iwano Heizaburo Seishisho Co., Ltd.
The washi paper for this artwork was produced by Iwano Heizaburo Seishisho Co., Ltd., a handmade washi workshop founded in the Meiji era with over 150 years of history. Their traditional techniques, beloved by masters of modern Japanese painting such as Yokoyama Taikan, give this work a powerful sense of life and depth. We express our deepest gratitude for being provided with their outstanding papermaking skills.