Four Gigaku masks (8th century, Todaiji Temple, Important Cultural Property of Japan [left]) + four ShinGigaku masks (Mannojo Nomura V. [right])
A philosophy shared by East and West: “Eternity exists in a moment and the whole world is in a speck of dust”. Thus, if one universe is a part of the bigger one, and if “all is one and one is all”, we can regard all ourselves as one — from the tiniest atom to the largest universe.
This is the core message of my project about the ancient Eurasian wisdom which arrived in Japan 1300 – 1500 years ago via the Silk Road and even today survives in the form of art. The purpose of this project is to present this Eurasian trail where beauty and wisdom interacted as both a Road of Light and Hope and Road of the Vairocana Buddha’s introduction to Japan, where this all-inclusive vision was created as an inspiration for a future in which everyone is a part of everything and all is interconnected.
Nara, the eastern terminal of the Silk Road
While Nara was the ancient capital of Japan, it was de facto the easternmost terminal of the Silk Road. If we were to seek a cultural link connecting its westernmost terminus, Rome, with Nara, it might be found in the sculptural art work embodying the ideals of the human spirit as well as the free and vivid movements influenced by the classical style of ancient Greece.
Some examples would be: Buddhist statues influenced by Hellenistic culture, e.g. the Vairocana Buddha whose origins can be found along the Silk Road; Gigaku masks whose origins can be traced back to the mask theatres of ancient Greece, brought all the way to Japan via the Oasis Silk Road and the southwestern route, while becoming intermingled with the folklore and dance of Sogdians (middlemen along the trade routes); Bugaku masks that integrated diverse court performing arts from various ancient kingdoms, including India, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Korea linked by the Maritime Silk Road crystallising in this cultural heritage as our hope for unity and diversity: that is the quintessence of the cosmopolitanism of 13 centuries ago.
Old map of Eurasian continent in Year 1508 (cropped)
Various hints and inspirations can be found in the histories of exchanges and fusions permeating the Silk Road that linked Europe, Asia and Arabia in one expansive network. While exploring the forgotten history of countless obscure exchanges of races and religions, philosophy and art & culture, folklore —through such cultural heritage as sculpture and masks, arts and crafts, ornaments and structures— I would like to search for a common ground fostering tolerance and solidarity in today’s divisive times.
Message from the Silk Road
As a cue to inspire such awareness, I would like to propose the notion of a Road of Light and Hope as a message from the Silk Road of 20 centuries ago, tracing back from Nara to Rome —through art and media, under the motto: “The medium is the message” (M. McLuhan).
For the sake of peace and unity, we embark on the mission of a generation through this project aspiring to share the notion of media=art + message transcending religious differences and racial disparities, via ancient visions of tolerance and solidarity traversing the Eurasian continent for over twenty centuries —reaching from Nara/Japan via China, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Jordan, and Greece all the way to Rome — from the Eastern and Western termini of the Silk Road. This new Road of Light and Hope will connect the past and the present, the East and the West — retracing the path to the common origin of our diverse cultures around the globe.
(February 2018)
Gigaku mask of Tōdaiji Temple (Suiko-jū), Important Cultural Property of Japan, 8th century
Photo by Miro Ito
🔶 Signs of the Intangible — in search for an ideal of mind-body unity as the path to enlightenment (by Miro Ito)
Signs of the Intangible is the collective title for our ongoing cross-media project comprising photographs, films for screenings & art installations, books, lectures and performances for educational purposes, etc., entirely based on our own research and archives from 2002 to present.
Highlighting the 1400 years of continuity in Japan’s performing arts, the presentation Signs of the Intangible features topical film works and photographic art work of select National Treasures of Japan as well as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage such as Noh performers, or avant-garde Butoh dancers.
The uniqueness of this presentation accentuates a never-seen-before perspective on how these exceptional tangible or intangible arts and traditions interact: 8th century Buddhist sculptures influenced by Hellenistic culture, Gigaku and Bugaku masks (that came to Japan in the 7th century via the Silk Road), Noh performance and Kobudo martial arts with their 600 year tradition, as well as contemporary dance performances like Butoh.
Okina (archetypal ritual form of noh)
Noh Performer: Hodaka Komparu/Photo by Miro Ito
Visions of mind-body unity
Nurtured in a nature worshipping environment (Shintoism) where everything is seen as a manifestation of kami, and influenced by Buddhism, the key element that provides continuity is the dedicatory tradition evident in the Shinto-Buddhist syncretism prevalent in Japan since the 7th century. From the 12th century onward, Zen Buddhist influences, advanced an ideal of mind-body unity called shinshin ichinyo, as the path to enlightenment — not only in religious contexts, but also —- in performing arts like Noh and in martial arts, such as Kobudo, under the patronage of the samurai clans that inherited the shogunate.
As Zen Buddhist teacher, Hakuin put it “our soul has a physical dimension and our body has a spiritual dimension”, so the body is the ba (topos) for the transformation towards an ultimate goal of gedatsu (liberation; vimokṣa in Sanskrit) in Oriental ascetic tradition and meditation.
Tracing back to ancient Greece
On the other hand, the origins of many Asian sculpting traditions can be traced back to statues (Άγαλμα) dedicated to ancient Greek deities. In addition to identify dedicatory statues also as the archetype of Japan’s performing arts, Signs of the Intangible illustrates how Japanese performing arts have integrated and modified the cultural heritage of the Eurasian continent, originally thriving in the arts of Classical Greece while largely falling into disuse outside of Japan. Thus, Signs of the Intangible showcases an assortment outstanding artwork as evidence of the interconnectedness of East and West.
It is anticipated, that such evidence of our interconnectedness will ultimately foster a mind-set of mutual understanding that transcends race and creed, disparities and differences, and is conducive to promoting peaceful coexistence among all of us.
The photo book of Signs of the Intangible with newly written essays by Miro Ito is under the production and will be released on February 2022.
(January 2022)
🔶 Cross Cultural Projects
Ancillary projects such as photo exhibitions, cultural exchanges, academic research projects are being proposed to museums, libraries, universities and educational institutions, etc.
🔸The following are objectives for constructive collaborations.
1. Collaborations with curators and academics in lectures and events integrating photography and media-art & movie-installations/screenings presenting gigaku masks and bugaku, ancient Asian court theatre arts that entered Japan via the Silk Roads.
Lecture at University of Chicago, October 2017
2. Examining how the origins of 600 years of such traditional performing arts as Noh and Kyogen and their connections with Zen, and contemporary Butoh, have been seen, studied and presented by educational and cultural entities in the world.
Lecture at Northwestern University, Chicago, November 2018
3. Identifying common ground with International performing arts institutes as well as artists & creators that endeavor to create theatrical performances inspired by above-mentioned traditional and contemporary performing arts of Japan and Asia in the more extended context of the global performing art scene.
Exhibits of photo art works in traditional hanging scroll style were created by Miro Ito who, after experiencing 9/11 in New York firsthand, has been pursuing themes of the World Cultural Heritage and National Treasures in Nara, aspiring to serve as a bridge of the heart and mind between East and West.
The portrayed treasures are preserved in Nara at the Tōdai-ji Temple and the Kasuga-taisha Shrine which respectively are part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site: Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara. These are extremely rare images, as many of the portrayed artefacts have not been photographed during the last 40 years or more.
Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple, Japan Foundation, Toronto, March – June 2017.
Exhibits: Photo Art Scrolls & Short Films (click here)
[Exhibits: Photo Art Scrolls & Short Films]
Photographic Presentation of National Treasures & Important Cultural Property of Japan
Photo art scrolls: 56 rolls
[National Treasures of Japan]
1 image of the World of the Lotus Sanctuary (8th century, Tōdaiji Temple)
1 image of the seated bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha, erected in 8th century, restored in the 12th and 17th centuries (Tōdaiji Temple)
3 images of the standing bodhisattva statues of Fukūkensaku Kannon/Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara (early 8th century, Hokke-dō/Tōdaiji Temple,)
1 image of the standing statues of Fukūkensaku Kannon Bodhisattva and Four Guardian Kings (Caturmahārāja) early 8th century, Hokke-dō/Tōdaiji Temple)
4 images of the standing bodhisattva statues of Shukongōjin (8th century, Hokke-dō/Tōdaiji Temple)
6 images of the standing statues of the bodhisattvas Nikkō Bosatsu/Surya-prabha and Gakkō Bosatsu/Candra-prabha (8th century, Tōdaiji Temple)
12 images of the standing statues of the Four Great Kings (Caturmahārāja): Tamonten, Kōmokuten, Zōjōten, Jikokuten (8th century, Kaidan-dō/Todaiji Temple,)
[Important Cultural Property of Japan]
6 images of the standing bodhisattva statue of Senju Kannon/Sahasrabhuja ārya Avalokiteśvara and standing statues of the Four Guardian Kings (Caturmahārāja) in the zushi altar (a cupboard-like case with double doors) (early 13th century, Senju-dō Hall/Tōdaiji Temple)
1 imageof the standing bodhisattva statue of Senju Kannon / Sahasrabhuja ārya Avalokiteśvara (Tōdaiji Museum, 9th century)
1 image of the standing bodhisattva statue of Jūichimen Kannon / Eleven-Headed Avalokiteśvara; Ekādaśamukha (Shigatsu-do/Tōdaiji Temple, 11th/12th century)
1 image of the standing bodhisattva statue of Shō Kannon (Tōdaiji Museum/13th century, Tōdaiji Temple)
9 images of Gigaku masks (8th century, Tōdaiji Temple): Chidō, Konron, Suiko-ō, Suiko-jū, Baraom/Suiko-jū, Taikofu, Karura, Rikishi)
1 image of Bugaku mask (12th century, dated 1128, Tōdaiji Temple): Ryō-ō
5 images of Bugaku masks (12th-16th centuries, Kasuga-Taisha Shrine): Chikyū, Sanju, Korobase, Nasori, Kitoku (Koiguchi)
[Images of Greek National Treasures]
1 image of ancient Mycenaean mask (Mask of Agamemnon, 1550 -1500 BCE, National Archeological Museum, Athens)
1 image of ancient Greek marble comedy mask, National Archeological Museum, Athens, 2 BCE)
[Images of Tunisian National Treasures]
2 images of ancient Carthaginian terracotta masks (Phoenician grinning mask [5th -4th centuries BCE]; Phoenician negroide mask [7th-6th centuries BCE]), Bardo National Museum, Tunis.
Short Films
Short Film Screening I (7 mins)
The Great Buddha Lives!” featuring the Vairocana Buddha statue of the Tōdaiji Temple, National Treasure of Japan, erected in 8th century,restored in the 12th and 17th centuries. asks” featuring Gigaku masks of Tōdai-ji Temple (Important Cultural Property of Japan/8th century) + Shin Gigaku masks (produced by Mannojo Nomura V.)
Written, photographed and directed by Miro Ito Music: Yasuhiro Morinaga
Short Film Screening II (7.5 mins)
“Gigaku: Road of Masks” featuring Gigaku masks of Tōdai-ji Temple (Important Cultural Property of Japan/8th century) + Shin Gigaku masks (produced by Mannojo Nomura V.)
Written, photographed and directed by Miro Ito
Music: Sukeyasu Shiba
Performance: Ethnos
Short Film Screening III (11 mins)
“Life of Masks – Bugaku : Kasuga-taisha Shrine and Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival”” featuring Bugaku masks (Important Cultural Property of Japan from the 9th-13rd centuries) and performances as well as the Onmatsuri’s historical extensive performing arts of Japan.
Written, photographed/filmed and directed by Miro Ito
Music & performance: Nantogakuso Gagaku Troupe
Bugaku Mask of Kasuga-taisha Shrine (Chikyu), Important Cultural Property of Japan, Heian Period Photo by Miro Ito
Exhibition Venues/Collections: click here
🔸Peru
– Road of Light and Hope: Photo Exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan
5th – 27th November 2019, Asociacion Peruano Japonesa
In commemoration of the 120th -year history of Japanese Immigration to Peru (co-organized by: Embassy of Japan in Peru, Asociacion Peruano Japonesa, Media Art League, Japan Camera Industry Institute)
🔸Tunisia
– Road of Light and Hope: A Voyage of Hellenism to Japan- Photographs and Text by Miro Ito, the Bardo National Museum, Tunis, 21September – 5 October, 2019, commemorating the 50- years of the Japanese Embassy in Tunisia (co-organized by: Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bardo National Museum, Embassy of Japan in Tunisia, Japan Camera Industry Institute and Media Art League).
🔸Greece
– Road of Light and Hope: A Voyage of Hellenism to Japan- Photographs and Text by Miro Ito, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, 16 January – 10 February 2019, as the kick-off of the commemorative event of the 120th anniversary of Greece-Japan diplomatic ties, Athens (co-organized by the Embassy of Japan in Greece/Byzantine and Christian Museum/Japan Camera Industry Institute /Media Art League).
🔸Mexico
– Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple – Photographs by Miro Ito, the National Museum of World Culture, November -December 2018, as the commemorative event of the 140th anniversary of Mexico-Japan diplomatic relations, Mexico City (co-organized by the Japan Foundation Mexico City/Mexican Ministry of Cultures/Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute).
🔸Brazil
– Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Japan – Photographs by Miro Ito, the Centro Cultural Correios Rio de Janeiro as part of Month of Japan (Mês do Japão), 4th -29th July 2018, in commemoration of the 110th -year history of Japanese Immigration to Brazil (co-organized by the Consulate General of Japan, Rio de Janeiro/Japan Foundation/Instituto Cultural Brasil-Japão (ICBJ)/ Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute).
Mês do Japão (Japan Month), Rio de Janeiro 2018
🔸Canada
– Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple, Nara – Photographs by Miro Ito, March – June 2017, co-organized by the Japan Foundation, Toronto/Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute/Japan Foundation, Toronto).
🔸USA
– Road of Light and Hope -National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan, Chicago, November 2017 in commemoration of its 120-year history (co-organized by: Consulate General of Japan, Chicago/Media Art League/ Japan Camera Industry Institute) .
– Road of Light and Hope: Cosmopolitanism Embodied in the Vairocana Buddha of the Tôdai-ji Temple – Photo Exhibition of National Treasures of Japan, UN Headquarters, New York, on occasion of the United Nations Day of Vesak 2016 (co-organized by: Permanent Mission of Japan to the U.N., Media Art League Japan Camera Industry Institute).
🔸France
– Road of Light and Hope (Photo exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan), co-organized by the Council General of Japan in Strasbourg /Media Art League / Japan Camera Industry Institute, the Council of Europe + Le lieu d’Europe, Strasbourg, 2016).
Road of Light and Hope, the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
🔸Uzbekistan
– Road of Light and Hope: The Eternal Cosmopolitanism Weaving Along the Silk Road (Photo exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan), co-organized by the Academy of the Arts of Uzbekistan / Japan Camera Industry Institute, the International Caravanserai of Cultures of Ikuo Hirayama, Tashkent, 2016).
🔸Japan
– Road of Light and Hope: A Voyage of Hellenism to Japan via the Silk Road
19th – 4th November 2019, Izanaikan Hall of Heijo Palace (Nara Imperial Palace) as the kick-off event of the Nara Silk Road Symposium 2019
(co-organized by: Ministry of Land, Transportation and Infrastructure, Nara Prefecture, Media Art League, Japan Camera Industry Institute)
– Road of Light: Ancient Route of Prayer and Dedicatory Arts in Asia, Canon EXPO, Tokyo, 2010.
🔶Representative International Group Exhibitions
– Dedication of Flowers (Kenka) exhibition by 15 Japanese and U.S. women photographers in commemoration of the Heisei Restoration of the Kondō of Tōshōdaiji Temple”, Tokyo National Museum, 2005.
🔶Collections
Camera Industry Institute (JCII), Tōdaiji Museum, Kasuga-taisha Kokuhoukan Treasure House
Academic Lectures
🔶 Representative Academic Lectures & Symposia
– Two Sages of Japan: Prince Shōtoku and Emperor Shōmu by Miro Ito: As integral lecture (held by Cultural Agency of Japan/Nara Prefecture) of the Nara Chrysanthemum Doll Exhibition (Japan)
– Participation as panelist to the Nara Silk Road Symposium 2019
（co-organized by Nara Prefecture; Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism of Japan）
– Artist Talk with two short film screenings, an affiliated program to the exhibition, Byzantine and Christian Museum, January 2019 (Greece)
– El Arte como medio es un mensaje para la Universalidad. Camino de Luz y Esperanza: el sendero euroasiatico de la sabiduria, Museum Library, Museo Nacional de las Culturas del Mundo, Mexico City, November 2018 (Mexico)
– Road of Light and Hope: A Eurasian Trail of Wisdom (Caminho de Luz e Esperanca: A trilha eurasians da sabedoria), Department of Japanese, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), July 2018 (Brazil)
– Art as Media a Message for Universality: presentation for Visual and Material Perspectives on East Asia, Department of Art History, University of Chicago, November 2017 (USA)
– Photography of Tōdaiji Sculptures: Art as Media is a Message for Universality, Arts & Letters Hall, Department of Art History, DePaul University, Chicago, Ocober 2017 (USA)
– Artist Talk, an affiliated event to the exhibition, Road of Light and Hope, Japan Foundation, Toronto, May 2017 (Canada)
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🔶International Touring Exhibition & Screening series: Signs of the Intangible
🔸Body-and-mind-scapes from 1400 years of performing arts in Japan
For many years, photo artist and author, Miro Ito has been exploring signs of the intangible as she used her camera to capture transformations in body culture, in her photographic series which she calls bsodyscapes of prayer and dedication as well as expressions of enlightenment, including Buddhist statues and objects of worship that are listed as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties of Japan.
Concurrently, Ito has also explored the history of Japanese performing arts and its lineage that came from the Silk Road. From Gigaku, the oldest known Eurasian mask theatre which arrived in Japan 1400 years ago (of which only the masks survive today), to the Bugaku dance and mask cultures of ancient Asian kingdoms, to Noh that became established as theatrical drama in the 15th century, to contemporary avant-garde Butoh: a quest for the soul as an eternal light in body culture. Ito has depicted the intangible sides of spirituality and turned it into photographic and cinematographic masterpiece.
Media Art League (publisher)/Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative (editing) published its first art photo art book edition early 2023: Signs of the Intangible—Body-mind-scapes of Japan’s 1400 Years of Performing Arts collects a series of photographs by photo-artist Miro Ito, presenting a visual history of Japan’s 1400-year mind-and-body-unity culture from a unique perspective. The 106 photographs include new and unpublished works together with newly-written art essays by the author herself: it also serves as the catalogue for the eponymous international exhibition series.
Participating Performers (click here)
Photographic Art Works: Participating Performers
40 photo art works
Hodaka Komparu (Komparu School Noh actor)
Yukifusa Takeda, Tomoyuki Takeda, Fumiyuki Takeda (Kanze School Noh actors)
Ko Murobushi, Goro Namerikawa, Tamara Yamaguchi (Butoh dancers)
KiK_7, Giga Hizume, Sal Vanilla (Butoh company)
Shunso (contemporary dancer, ballet dancer)
Official Image of Venice Biennale (Dance Section)
Photo by Miro Ito/Butoh Dancer: Ko Murobushi
Exhibits: Photo Art Scrolls & Short Films (click here)
[Exhibits: Photo Art Scrolls & Short Films]
15 photo art scrolls
Important Cultural Property of Japan
9 images of Gigaku masks (8th century, Tōdaiji Temple): Chidō, Konron, Suiko-ō, Suiko-jū, Baraom/Suiko-jū, Taikofu, Karura, Rikishi)
1 image of Bugaku mask (12th century, dated 1128, Tōdaiji Temple): Ryō-ō
5 images of Bugaku masks (12th-16th centuries, Kasuga-Taisha Shrine): Chikyū, Sanju, Korobase, Nasori, Kitoku (Koiguchi)
Short Films
Short Film Screening I (7.5 mins)
“Gigaku: Road of Masks” featuring Gigaku masks of Tōdai-ji Temple (Important Cultural Property of Japan/8th century) + Shin Gigaku masks (produced by Mannojo Nomura V.)
Written, photographed and directed by Miro Ito
Music: Sukeyasu Shiba
Performance: Ethnos
Short Film Screening II (11 mins)
“Life of Masks – Bugaku : Kasuga-taisha Shrine and Wakamiya Onmatsuri Festival”” featuring Bugaku masks (Important Cultural Property of Japan from the 9th-13rd centuries) and performances as well as the Onmatsuri’s historical extensive performing arts of Japan.
Written, photographed/filmed and directed by Miro Ito
Music & performance: Nantogakuso Gagaku Troupe
Bugaku Mask of Kasuga-taisha Shrine (Chikyu), Important Cultural Property of Japan, Heian Period Photo by Miro Ito
Prayer scene in noh play, “Atsumori”
Noh performer: Fumiyuki Takeda / Photo by Miro Ito
Exhibition Venues/Collections: click here
🔶Representative Photo Exhibitions
🔸Peru
– Road of Light and Hope: Photo Exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan
5th – 27th November 2019, Asociacion Peruano Japonesa
In commemoration of the 120th -year history of Japanese Immigration to Peru (co-organized by: Embassy of Japan in Peru, Asociacion Peruano Japonesa, Media Art League, Japan Camera Industry Institute)
🔸Tunisia
– Road of Light and Hope: A Voyage of Hellenism to Japan- Photographs and Text by Miro Ito, the Bardo National Museum, Tunis, 21September – 5 October, 2019, commemorating the 50- years of the Japanese Embassy in Tunisia (co-organized by: Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bardo National Museum, Embassy of Japan in Tunisia, Japan Camera Industry Institute and Media Art League).
🔸Greece
– Road of Light and Hope: A Voyage of Hellenism to Japan- Photographs and Text by Miro Ito, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, 16 January – 10 February 2019, as the kick-off of the commemorative event of the 120th anniversary of Greece-Japan diplomatic ties, Athens (co-organized by the Embassy of Japan in Greece/Byzantine and Christian Museum/Japan Camera Industry Institute /Media Art League).
🔸Mexico
– Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple – Photographs by Miro Ito, the National Museum of World Culture, November -December 2018, as the commemorative event of the 140th anniversary of Mexico-Japan diplomatic relations, Mexico City (co-organized by the Japan Foundation Mexico City/Mexican Ministry of Cultures/Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute).
🔸Brazil
– Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Japan – Photographs by Miro Ito, the Centro Cultural Correios Rio de Janeiro as part of Month of Japan (Mês do Japão), 4th -29th July 2018, in commemoration of the 110th -year history of Japanese Immigration to Brazil (co-organized by the Consulate General of Japan, Rio de Janeiro/Japan Foundation/Instituto Cultural Brasil-Japão (ICBJ)/ Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute).
Mês do Japão (Japan Month), Rio de Janeiro 2018
🔸Canada
– Signs of the Intangible: Bodyscapes of Japan’s 1400 Years of Performing Arts, May-June 2018 in commemoration of the 90th Anniversary of Japan-Canada Diplomatic Relations (co-organized by: Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto/Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute, supported by Consulate General of Japan in Toronto/ National Federation of UNESCO in Japan).
Signs of the Intangible, Japanese Canadian Culture Centre, Toronto
– Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple, Nara – Photographs by Miro Ito, March – June 2017, co-organized by the Japan Foundation, Toronto/Media Art League/Japan Camera Industry Institute/Japan Foundation, Toronto).
🔸USA
– Road of Light and Hope -National Treasures of Todai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan Information Center, Consulate General of Japan, Chicago, November 2017 in commemoration of its 120-year history (co-organized by: Consulate General of Japan, Chicago/Media Art League/ Japan Camera Industry Institute) .
– Road of Light and Hope: Cosmopolitanism Embodied in the Vairocana Buddha of the Tôdai-ji Temple – Photo Exhibition of National Treasures of Japan, UN Headquarters, New York, on occasion of the United Nations Day of Vesak 2016 (co-organized by: Permanent Mission of Japan to the U.N., Media Art League Japan Camera Industry Institute).
– Men at Dance – From Noh to Butoh: Japanese Performing Arts, Past and Present, New York Public Library for Performing Arts, Lincoln Center (2007 – 2008) as tie-in exhibition to the 2007 NY Butoh Festival (supported by Consulate General of Japan in New York).
🔸France
– Road of Light and Hope (Photo exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan), co-organized by the Council General of Japan in Strasbourg /Media Art League / Japan Camera Industry Institute, the Council of Europe + Le lieu d’Europe, Strasbourg, 2016).
Road of Light and Hope, the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
🔸Uzbekistan
– Road of Light and Hope: The Eternal Cosmopolitanism Weaving Along the Silk Road (Photo exhibition of National Treasures and Important Cultural Property of Japan), co-organized by the Academy of the Arts of Uzbekistan / Japan Camera Industry Institute, the International Caravanserai of Cultures of Ikuo Hirayama, Tashkent, 2016).
🔸Japan
– Road of Light and Hope: A Voyage of Hellenism to Japan via the Silk Road
19th – 4th November 2019, Izanaikan Hall of Heijo Palace (Nara Imperial Palace) as the kick-off event of the Nara Silk Road Symposium 2019
(co-organized by: Ministry of Land, Transportation and Infrastructure, Nara Prefecture, Media Art League, Japan Camera Industry Institute)
– Road of Light: Ancient Route of Prayer and Dedicatory Arts in Asia, Canon EXPO, Tokyo, 2010.
– Masks, Performance, Life’s Energy: Visitor from Past and Future – featuring Mannojo Nomura on the 1st anniversary of his death, Canon S Tower, Tokyo, and two other venues, 2005.
– Mannojo Nomura’s NipponGaku -Traditional Japanese Dance and Performance, Japan Camera Industry Institute (joint exhibition series with Mayumi Moriyama, Chairperson of JCII, & Japanese Minister of Justice [2001 – 03], Minister of Education [1992-93]), Tokyo, 2004.
– Monochrome Digital Bodyscapes, Canon Salon (Tokyo / Osaka / Nagoya), 2003.
test-patches by 66b/cell
(“Monochrome Digital Bodyscapes” by Miro Ito)
– Mannojo Nomura’s Mask Road, Japan Camera Industry Institute (same as above), Tokyo, 2003.
🔸Germany
– Butoh : Encounter with the Flower Named Body, Japanese Culture Week in Frankfurt,Germany, 1997.
🔶Representative International Group Exhibitions
– Dedication of Flowers (Kenka) exhibition by 15 Japanese and U.S. women photographers in commemoration of the Heisei Restoration of the Kondō of Tōshōdaiji Temple”, Tokyo National Museum, 2005.
🔶Collections
New York Public Library for Performing Arts, Japan Camera Industry Institute (JCII), Tōdaiji Museum, Kasuga-taisha Kokuhoukan Treasure House
Academic Lectures
🔶 Representative Academic Lectures & Symposia
− Asuka-Fujiwara – Japan’s ancient capitals where the Ritsuryō System and Buddhist Culture first flourished in Japan by Miro Ito (one of her five part lecture series) at the Nara Palace Site Historical Park on 6th August 2023 (Japan)
– Two Sages of Japan: Prince Shōtoku and Emperor Shōmu by Miro Ito (held by The Industry Club of Japan), February 2022 (Japan)
– The Sacred Beginnings: The Story of the Four Temples of Yamato—Flowers, Buddhist Statues and Events at the Man’yo Museum in Nara (held by Nara Prefecture), October, 2022 (Japan)
– Two Sages of Japan: Prince Shōtoku and Emperor Shōmu by Miro Ito: As integral lecture (held by Cultural Agency of Japan/Nara Prefecture) of the Nara Chrysanthemum Doll Exhibition (Japan)
– Participation as panelist to the Nara Silk Road Symposium 2019
（co-organized by Nara Prefecture; Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs; Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism of Japan）
– DNA of Japanese Traditional Architecture by Miro Ito: As part of a photo exhibition, Edo/Tokyo – Seen through its edifices (JCII Collection)
Consulate-General of Japan (USA)
– Artist Talk with two short film screenings, an affiliated program to the exhibition, Byzantine and Christian Museum, January 2019 (Greece)
– El Arte como medio es un mensaje para la Universalidad. Camino de Luz y Esperanza: el sendero euroasiatico de la sabiduria, Museum Library, Museo Nacional de las Culturas del Mundo, Mexico City, November 2018 (Mexico)
– Signs of the Intangible with two short film screenings, an affiliated lecture to the exhibition with the same title, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Northwestern University, November 2018 (USA)
– Road of Light and Hope: A Eurasian Trail of Wisdom (Caminho de Luz e Esperanca: A trilha eurasians da sabedoria), Department of Japanese, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), July 2018 (Brazil)
– The Last of the Samurai: the Tokugawa Shogunate delegation and the Iwakura Mission to the USA, a short lecture for the 150th anniversary of Meiji Restoration, Department of Asian Languages and Studies, Northwestern University, April 2018 (USA)
– Art as Media a Message for Universality: presentation for Visual and Material Perspectives on East Asia, Department of Art History, University of Chicago, November 2017 (USA)
– Photography of Tōdaiji Sculptures: Art as Media is a Message for Universality, Arts & Letters Hall, Department of Art History, DePaul University, Chicago, Ocober 2017 (USA)
– Artist Talk, an affiliated event to the exhibition, Road of Light and Hope, Japan Foundation, Toronto, May 2017 (Canada)
🔶Other Lectures
– Lecture commemorating Ito’s book publication (Gokui de manabu Shashin gokoro by Film Art), Yaesu Book Center, February 2012 (Japan)
– Creative lecture for designers and product design staff of MAZDA, Mazda Research Center, 2003 (Japan)
🔶Solo Book Projects
– Encyclopedia of Japanese Family Crests: 1400 Years of Beauty & Tradition (Nihon no Kamon to Seishi: Dentohbi to Keifu), Seibundo Shinkosha Publishing, 2013 (Japan)
– Photographer’s Bible: (Cutting-Edge Photography: Themes, Composition, Lighting & Fine-tuning) (all text & photos), Seibundo Shinkosha Publishing, 2012 (Japan)
– Heart of Photography: Rules and Aesthetics in Photography (Gokui de manabu Shashin gokoro) (all text & photos), Film Art, 2011 (Japan)
– Encounter with the Fundamentals of Life in Nara (Kokorono Sumika Nara – Inochino Kongen Narumono to no Deai) (all text & photos), Random House Kodansha, 2010 (Japan)
– Miseru Shashinjjutsu (Enthralling Photography: Theme, Composition, Technique) (all text & photos), selected for inclusion in The Japan Library Association’s official reading list), MdN Corporation, 2007 (Japan)
– ManzaiRaku: Mannojo Nomura + Miro Ito (photographs/text by M. Ito), Nippon Camera, 2004 (Japan)
– The Art of Photography in the Digital Era: Views on Photography in the future (Digital jidai no Shashinjutsu) (co-authored), 2000 (Japan)
🔶Other Books & Catalogues
– Photographs and Haiku Poems dedicated to Ganjinwajo and Vairocana Buddha of Tōshōdaiji Temple/Catalogue Edition for “Dedication of Flowers” exhibition, 2005 (Japan)
Publications/ Prize / Video Screening / TV Appearance
🔶Representative Publications in Photography Specialty Magazines in Japan/Europe (Japanese-culture related)
(except media related assignments)
– Asahi Camera/Jan. 2012 (10 pp., Japan)
– Asahi Camera/Jan. 2010 (7 pp., Japan)
– Asahi Camera/Oct. 2008 (8 pp., Japan)
– Nippon Camera/Dec. 2006 (4 pp., Japan)
– Nippon Camera/Dec. 2004 (6 pp., Japan)
🔶Photographic Presentations of Historical Art Work
UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
🔸Tōdaiji Temple
[National Treasure of Japan]
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- Seated bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha (Birushana or Rushana in Japanese), constructed in the 8th century, Nara Period; restored in the 12th and 17th centuries (Kamakura and Edo Periods)
- Images of the World of the Lotus Sanctuary (Padma-garbha-loka-dhatu), 8th century, Nara Period (engraved on the lotus blossom petals of the Great Buddha)
- Standing statue of Fukū Kensaku Kannon (Amogha-pasa AvalokitesvaraBodhisattva), hollow dry lacquer, gold leaf over lacquer, mid 8th century, Nara Period, Hokke-dō Hall
- Standing statues of Four Guardian Kings (Caturmahārāja), colored clay, cut-gold foil on clay, 8th century, Nara Period, Hokke-dō Hall: Jikokuten/Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Zôjôten/Virūḍhaka, Kômokuten/Virūpākṣa, Tamonten/Vaiśravaṇa
- Standing statues of Nikkō Bosatsu (Surya-prabha Bodhisattva or Brahma)and Gakkō Bosatsu(Chandra-prabha Bodhisattva or Indra), colored clay, cut-gold foil on clay, 8th century, Nara Period, Tōdaiji Museum
- Inner Sanktum of the Nigatsu-dō Hall (Raidō), 17th Century, Edo Period
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[Important Cultural Property of Japan]
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- Wooden standing statue of Senju Kannon (Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokitesvara) and standing statues of the Four Guardian Kings (Caturmahārāja) in the zushi altar (a cupboard-like case with double doors), Senju-dō Hall of the Kaidan-in, 13th century, early Kamakura Period
- Wooden standing statue of Senju Kannon (Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokitesvara) , 9th century, early Heian Period
- Wooden standing statue of the Jūichimen Kannon (Eleven-Headed Avalokiteśvara; Ekādaśamukha), Shigatsu-dō Hall, from the 11h-12h centuries, late Heian Period
- Curved Wooden Gigaku masks (Chidō, Konron, Suikoō , Suikojū, Baramon/Suikojū, Karura, Rikishi, Taikoji). 8th century, Nara Period
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🔸Kasuga-taisha Shrine
[Important Cultural Property of Japan]
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- Curved Wooden Bugaku masks (Chikyū Sanjiu, Korobase, Nasori, Kitoku -Koiguchi, Shintoriso (from the 9th – 13 centuries)
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[Other Distinguished Cultural Assets]
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- Curved Wooden Bugaku masks (Kitoku-Jinmen, Genjōraku, Ryōō, Batō, Ninomai, Kotokuraku, Somakusha)
- Bugaku Costume (Ranryōō, Kitoku, Dakyū-raku, Koma-boko, Ban’e-shōzoku, Kochō, Azuma-asobi)
- Curved Wooden Gigaku masks (used for Kōfukuji Busshō-e)
- Kasuga Mandala
- Kasuga Deer Mandala (Kasuga Shika Mandara)
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etc.
Bugaku Mask of Kasuga-taisha Shrine (Korobase), Important Cultural Property of Japan, Heian Period
Photo by Miro Ito
🔶Rituals/Ceremonies of Temples and Shrines including the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara and Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area
Hōryu-ji Temple, Tōdaiji Temple, Kōfukuji Temple, Tōshōdaiji Temple, Yakushiji Temple, Gangōji Temple, Saidai-ji Temple, Daian-ji Temple, Hasedera-Temple, Murō-ji Temple, Abe Monjuin Temple, Kasuga-taisha Shrine, etc.
🔶Photo Art of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
🔸Nōgaku theatre
Mannojō Nomura V (Kyōgen performer, Izumi School of Kyōgen
Hodaka Komparu (Shite-kata Noh performer, Komparu School of Noh)
Yukifusa Takeda, Tomoyuki Takeda, Fumiyuki Takeda (Shite-kata Noh performer, Kanze School of Noh)
etc.
🔸Gagaku (Bugaku) theatre
Nantogakuso Gagaku Troupe (Nara)
Shitenōji-gakuso Gagaku Truope (Osaka)
(random order)
List of Art Work Donation
🔶 Photo Art Works, Short Movies, Books
(click venues for details)
NY Public Library for Performing Arts (New York)
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- All exhibits (55 works) of Miro Ito’s exhibition; Men at Dance — from Noh to Butoh.
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Tōdaii Museum (Nara)
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- 12 scrolls of photographic art of the standing statues of the Four Guardian Kings in the Kaiden-dō Hall (National Treasure of Japan, 8th century)
- 6 scrolls of photographic art of the standing statues of Nikkō Bosatsu and Gakkō Bosatsu (National Treasure of Japan, 8th century)
- 6 scrolls of photographic art of the standing statues of Senju Kannon in the Senjudō-Hall (Important Cultural Property of Japan, 13th century)
- 8 scrolls of photographic art of curved wooden Gigaku masks (Important Cultural Property of Japan, 8th century)
- Short Movie—“Gigaku: Road of Masks” (7.5min.)
- Short Movie—“The Great Budha Lives! ” (7min.)
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Kasugataisha Houmotsuden Treasury (Nara)
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- 9 scrolls of photographic art of curved wooden Bugaku masks (including 6 masks designated as Important Cultural Property of Japan)
- Short Movie—“Life of Masks: Bugaku at Kasuga-taisha Shrine & Wakaiya Onmatsuri “ (11min.)
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Japan Camera Industry Institute (JCII), Tokyo
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- All Exhibits from “Road of Light and Hope” exhibition series (33 photo art scrolls)
- 12 scrolls of photographic art of the standing statues of the Four Guardian Kings in the Kaiden-dō Hall (National Treasure of Japan, 8th century)
- 6 scrolls of photographic art of the standing statues of Nikkō Bosatsu and Gakkō Bosatsu (National Treasure of Japan, 8th century)
- 6 scrolls of photographic art of the standing statues of Senju Kannon in the Senjudō-Hall (Important Cultural Property of Japan, 13th century)
- 8 scrolls of photographic art of curved wooden Gigaku masks (Important Cultural Property of Japan, 8th century)
- 5 scrolls of photographic art of curved wooden Bugaku masks of the Kasuga-taisha Shrine (Important Cultural Property of Japan, 9th to 13th century)
- All exhibits (35 works) of Mannojo Nomura’s NipponGaku
- All exhibits (35 works) of Mannojo Nomura’s ShinGigaku
- Portrait of Mannjo Nomura V (photographed with ShinGigaku mask [Konron])
- All exhibits (30 workd) of Miro Ito’s exhibition: Monochrome Digital Bodyscapes
- All Exhibits from “Road of Light and Hope” exhibition series (33 photo art scrolls)
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NPO ACT.JT (Tokyo)
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- All exibits (65 woks) of “Kamen, Gakugeki, Inochi (Masks, Performance, Life’s Energy)” featuring Mannojo Nomura V.
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Shimane Prefectural Foundation of Cultural Promotion
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- 5 exhibits (photographs) of DaiDengaku produced by Mannjo Name
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Nara Prefectural High Schools
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- 100 books of Miro Ito’s photo essay “Kokoro no Sumika Nara; Inochi no Kongen narumono to no Deai (literally, Haven of Heart: Encounter with the Fundamentals in Nara)”
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Nara University
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- Short Movie—“Gigaku: Road of Masks” (7min.30 sec.) for educational purpose
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🔶Photographic permits by
Kasuga-Taisha Shrine; Great Seven Temples of the Southern Capital (Daian-ji; Gangō-ji; Hōryū-ji; Kōfuku-ji; Saidai-ji; Tōdai-ji; Tōshōdai-ij; Yakushi-ji), Hokke-ji Temple, Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple, Hase-dera Temple, Murō-ji Temple, Oka-dera Temple, Abe Monjiuin-Temple, Nara National Museum; Ōmiwa Shrine, Narazuhiko Shrine, Shitenno-ji Shrine, Setagaya Kannon-ji Temple, Kasuga-Wakamiya Onmatsuri Presavation Association, Takigi-Noh Preservation Association, Nara Komparu Noh, Takashi Takeda Memorial Nohgaku Foundation, Yagyūkai, Yorozu Kyōgen, ACT.JT, etc.
🔶Photographic collaborators
Hodaka Komparu (Noh performer, Komparu School of Noh; shite-kata), Yukifusa Takeda, Tomoyuki Takeda, Fumiyuki Takeda (Noh performers, Kanze School of Noh;shite-kata), Mannojo Nomura V; Taichiro Nomura (Kyōgen performer, Izumi School of Kyōgen), Nobuharu Yagyū (21st headmaster of Yagyū Shinkage Ryū Heihō); Koichi Yagyū/Genshin Taira (22nd headmaster of Yagyū Shinkage Ryū Heihō), Ko Murobushi; Goro Namerikawa; KiK_7; Hizume Giga; Koichi Tamano; Yumiko Yoshioka, Tamara Yamaguchi (Butoh performers), Sal Vanilla (Butoh company), Syunso (Contemporary dancer/ballet dancer), etc.
🔶Editorial supervision/cooperation
Individuals: Kosei Morimoto (Abbot Emeritus of Tōdaiji Temple), Kan’ichi Kasagi (Director of Performance and Music of Nantogakuso Gagaku Troupe, Professor Emeritus of Nara University), Kiyotaka Kimura (Professor Emeritus of Tokyo University, former President of Tsurumi University), etc.
🔶Music Collaboration
Sukeyasu Shiba (Gigaku Gyōdō-Ranjō, Gigaku Karura), Yasuhiro Morinaga
🔶Exhibition organizers/co-organizers
Japan Camera Industry Institute (JCII); Cultural Agency of Japan; Nara Prefecture; Embassy of Japan in Peru; Japanese Peruvian Association; Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism; National Bardo Musuem; Embassy of Japan in Tunisia; Byzantine and Christian Museum; Embassy of Japan in Greece; National Museum of World Cultures of Mexico; The Japan Foundation, Mexico; Embassy of Japan in Mexico; Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre; Consulate General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro Post Office Cultural Centre (Japan Month); Consulate General of Japan in Chicago; The Japan Foundation, Toronto; Consulate General of Japan in Strasbourg; Lieu d’Europe (EU); Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan; Permanent Mission of Japan to UN; Canon Group; Association for Commemorative Events of the 1300th Anniversary of Nara Heijō- kyō; NY Public Library for Performing Arts; ACT. JT; Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, etc.
🔶Lectures/symposia
Cultural Agency of Japan, Nara Prefecture, Nara Sylkroad Symposium 2019, Byzantine and Christian Museum (Athens), Northwestern University (Chicago), National Museum of Multi-Cultures of Mexico (Mexico City), Consulate General of Japan in Chicago, The State University of Rio de Janeiro, University of Chicago, DePaul University (Chicago), etc.
🔶Backers
National Federation of UNESCO Assoiations in Japan(2018-2019), Nara Visitors Bureau, Embassy of Japan in Uzbekistan, Consulate General of Japan in Toronto, Association for Commemorative Events of the 1300th Anniversary of Nara Heijō- kyō, Consulate General of Japan in New York, etc.
🔶Subsidies/funding sources
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Subsidy Program for Sustaining Businesses), The Tokyo Club, Yamaguchi Educational and Scholarship Foundation, Japan Foundation (JFK Fund), Canon USA, etc.
🔶Equipment Support
Canon Marketing Japan, Leica Camera Japan, Japan Camera Museum, Iino Mediapro, etc.
🔶Technical Support
Masatsugu Hashimoto, PhD, Executive Director of NGC Corporation; Nara Institute of Science and Technology/Information Science/Professor Chihara’s Laboratory (2009−2010), etc.
🔶Cosponsorship
Japan Camera Industry Institute, Canon U.S.A., Nippon Care Communications, ND Software, Nippon Computer Systems, Agfa Gevaert Japan, Bank of Tokyo-Mistubishi in Germany (present Bank of Mitsubishi UFJ), All Nippon Airways (ANA), etc.
Mt. Fuji — Koichi Tamano (Butoh Dancer)
(random order)