Former prime minister’s art on show at heritage site in Kyoto

Jun 07, 2021 | News On Japan

Jun 07, 2021 (Asahi) - Morihiro Hosokawa, who served briefly as prime minister and devoted his retirement from politics to painting, on June 5 presented a series of his sliding screen ink work to a Buddhist temple here that has centuries-old links with his family.

Hosokawa, 83, has won wide acclaim for his expertise in art and brushwork.

The ink paintings were drawn on both sides of 12 sliding paper doors to adorn the study of the main hall of Kenninji temple in the city's Higashiyama Ward.

“I did my best to draw the pictures while preserving Japanese culture,” Hosokawa said.

The drawings went on public display June 6 in a special exhibition that is scheduled to last throughout the year.

The temple commissioned Hosokawa to work on the paintings to mark the 880th anniversary of the birth of Eisai (1141-1215), the monk who brought the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism to Japan from China and founded Kenninji temple in 1202.

His work depicts two rivers in China's Hunan province and eight scenic spots near Lake Dongting where the rivers end their journey. He spent about a year on the project and completed the drawings in January.

Source: SankeiNews

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