Quest for the wisdom of our forebears seeking global harmony

In a world fraught with uncertainty, one way to continue to inspire a yearning for peace is by learning from the wisdom and achievements of those who came before us. After personally experiencing the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, I sought such wisdom from my forebears in Japan. The achievements of Prince Shōtoku (aka Prince Umayado, 574–622)—a sage synonymous with the origins of Japanese culture—soon emerged as a central theme.

First overseas photography exhibition featuring Horyu-ji’s National Treasures

The photographic exhibition ‘Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku’ (by MIRO ITO/Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative & Media Art League) is ongoing at the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center, University of Salamanca in Spain until 19 June 2026. This exhibition, the first overseas exhibition featuring Hōryū-ji’s National Treasures (in a luxurious hanging-scroll photography format, opened on 17 March to mark the 25th Salamanca Japanese Culture Week.

Prince Shōtoku: Scene from “Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku” (short film by Miro Ito, English version)

Hōryū-ji: the Cradle of Japanese art

The Hōryū-ji is renowned for having the world’s oldest surviving ensemble of wooden buildings and is the first site in Japan to be designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. This invaluable collection of Buddhist art, that includes numerous National Treasures and designated cultural property that epitomise the cultural zenith of East Asia during the 7th century (the Asuka period). Drawing on Buddhist art from China and the Korean Peninsula, thes artistic masterpieces—which underwent uniquely Japanese refinements—are regarded as the cradle of Japanese art and artisanship.

The exhibition hall—the only one in the world allowed to bear the name of Empress Michiko—is adorned with photographs of her and retired Emperor Emeritus Akihito (Photo: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)

National Treasure Masterpieces of the 7th century

The National Treasures featured in this exhibition are represented by two life-size statues of Prince Shōtoku—both considered to be ‘hidden Buddha’ statues: a Kannon of Salvation from the Asuka period (early to mid-7th century) and a statue of Prince Shōtoku (Regent Statue, 1122) created 500 years after his death in 622 CE.

A view of the exhibition “La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku”: Hidden Statue of Kuse Kannon (left) and Hidden Statue of Prince Shotoku (right)

Kuse Kannon: Scene from “Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku” (short film by Miro Ito, English version)

Kudara Kannon: Scene from: ‘Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku’ (short film by Miro Ito)

The Kudara Kannon statue, exhibited at the Louvre in 1997, and the Yumechigai Kannon (lit. Dream Changer) statue, exhibited at the British Museum in 2019, also add to the exhibition’s appeal. Two more important statues—the two-year-old and the sixteen-year-old Prince Shōtoku—which were created as Prince Shōtoku’s beliefs spread, are Important Cultural Property from Gangō-ji (formerly Hōkō-ji), Japan’s first Buddhist temple.

Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku

A view of the exhibition “La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku”: Prince Shōtoku statues of Hōrryū-ji and Gangōr-ji Temples (far right and third from right) (Photo: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)

Prince Shōtoku’s aspirations for peace

Having created the basis of Japan as a nation in terms of social system, religion, philosophy, education and fine arts; Prince Shōtoku embodies the origins of Japan’s culture. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view global treasures that showcase the finest examples of 7th-century East Asian art—not only from Japan but from across the region—in the context of Prince Shōtoku’s aspirations for peace, dating back more than 1,400 years.

Artist/creator MIRO ITO, obtained special permission from the Hōryū-ji and invested 20 years to take these photographs and videos.The exhibition will be open until 19th June 2026, and the public is welcome to view it in the Hall of Her Empress Michiko (Palace of San Boal) at the University of Salamanca—Europe’s fourth-oldest university—at the heart of the World Cultural Heritage city of Salamanca.

La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku (The Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji and Prince Shōtoku)

Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés (Universidad de Salamanca)

Dates: 16th March to 19th June 2026

Opening hours: Monday to Friday (11:00 AM to 1:45 PM, 5:30 PM to 8:45 PM)

Address: Pl. de San Boal, 13, 37002 Salamanca, Spain

Tel: +34 923 29 45 60

URL: https://www.centrojapones.es/exposicion-templo-horyuji-2026/

More Information

JAPAN AUTHENTIC HERITAGE (previous blog)

MEDIA ART LEAGUE (previous blog No.15)

https://mediaartleague.org/en/blog/media-art-message-no-15/

TRIBUNA SALAMANCA

https://www.tribunasalamanca.com/noticias/438030/japon-desembarca-en-salamanca-una-semana-de-arte-gastronomia-y-tradicion-en-la-universidad

FUNDACIÓN JAPÓN MADRID

https://md.jpf.go.jp/es/Actividades/Eventos-organizados-por-otras-instituciones/evento/351/exposicion-fotografica-miro-ito-salamanca

SALAMANCA.COM

https://www.salamanca.com/evento/la-importancia-historica-del-templo-horyu-ji-y-el-principe-shotoku-en-el-cchj-exposicion-en-salamanca-2026/

Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku

A World Premiere: the first photographic exhibition of the Hōryū-ji’s historical relics, to be shown outside Japan

A photographic exhibition entitled ‘The Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji and Prince Shōtoku  (La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku)’ opened at the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center (University of Salamanca) in Spain on 16th March 2026. Amid growing global turmoil, this project aims to promote the spirit of ‘harmony’—that underpins the ‘Seventeen-Article Constitution’ promulgated by Crown Prince Shōtoku in 604—to the wider world. The required photography/filming work—for which exceptional permission was granted by the Hōryū-ji Temple—took 20 years to complete. This is the first exhibition of its kind to showcase the National Treasures of the Hōryū-ji, outside of Japan.

Poster: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku (Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku)

Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku

Objectives

Through photographs and documentary footage showcasing the Hōryū-ji’s treasures and events, this exhibition explores the temple’s history at the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. Moreover, it places the achievements of Prince Shōtoku (Prince Umayato)—who laid the foundations for Japan’s politics and culture that continue to this day—within the context of East Asian history from the 7th century onwards..

A view of the exhibition in the “Empress Michiko Hall” (Photo: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)

A view of the exhibition “La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku”
“Empress Michiko Hall” (Photo: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)

Exhibited Work

The exhibition features photographic work and a video poem (15 minutes in Spanish) showcasing artefacts—that convey the grandeur of ancient East Asian Buddhism—which reached Nara via the Silk Roads. At the collection’s core are outstanding National Treasures from the Asuka period, including the Shakyamuni Triad, the Standing Statue of the Hidden Buddha, the Kuse Kannon, the Kudara Kannon, the Yumemichi Kannon, the Yakushi Nyorai, and the Four Heavenly Kings.

Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku

A portion of the exhibition “La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku”
“Empress Michiko Hall” (Photo: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)

A view of the exhibition “La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku”
“Empress Michiko Hall” (Photo: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)

Salamanca Japanese Culture Week

In 1999 the “Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center” (which includes the Empress Michiko Hall) was established at the Palace of Saint-Boire

The entire city of Salamanca was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. The Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre was established there in 1999 as an annex to the University of Salamanca, which was founded in 1208 and is the fourth oldest still-existing university in the world. The centre’s ‘Empress Michiko Hall’ (formerly the Palais San Boileau), is the only cultural facility in the world permitted to bear the name of the former Empress of Japan. The annual ‘Salamanca Japanese Culture Week’, held here every year, serves as a focus for cultural exchange between Spain and Japan through exhibitions, lectures and concerts marking its 25th anniversary this year.

At the opening ceremony of the 25th Salamanca Japanese Cultural Week on 16 March, Professor Jose Abel Vilarejo of the University of Salamanca, Director of the Spanisch-Japanese Cultural Center, and Shinichi Sato, Charge d’Affaires at the Japanese Embassy in Spain, and Mr. Yasutaka Takeda, Director of the Japan Foundation, Madrid, delivered opening remarks. Following these, Miro Ito (Initiator of the Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative/Media Art League), photo-artist and producer of the Hōryū-ji exhibition, gave a speech.

At the opening of the 25th Salamanca Japanese Culture Week, 16 March 2026.
L to R: Ms. Ito; Director Floreso, the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre; Ms. Martinez, Vice-Rector for Cultural Assets, Heritage and Conservation at the University of Salamanca;
Mr. Sato, Chargé d’Affaires, Japanese Embassy and Director Takeda, Japan Foundation, Madrid (Photo: Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés, Universidad de Salamanca)

At the opening event of “La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku”
(Photo: Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés, Universidad de Salamanca)

The next day, Ms. Ito gave a 50-minute lecture, “Two Sages of Japan: Prince Shōtoku and Emperor Shōmu”, to students of Japanese / East-Asian art and history, at the University of Salamanca. Her emphasis on Prince Shōtoku’s core value of “Harmony”, as the first and foremost of the 17-Articles in his Constitution, resonated well and garnered many remarks like “That is precisely the message the world needs today”.

Although parts of this lecture had been presented during Ito’s commemorative lecture in 2021 at Nara Prefecture’s Great Chrysanthemum Doll Exhibition, the current global tensions, gave the topic a particular relevance, as this appeal for harmony and understanding –transcending time and space– resonated well with the young Spaniards in attendance. Consequently, Miro Ito is determined to deliver similar messages at subsequent exhibitions in many countries around the world. She vowed “I will gladly travel anywhere in the world to spread this appeal for harmony and peace—should I be invited …”

A Commemorative lecture: “Two Sages of Japan: Prince Shōtoku and Emperor Shōmu (as part of a course at the University of Salamanca)
(Photo: Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés, Universidad de Salamanca)

The exhibition will run for three months until 19 June 2026.

Please do make a trip to Salamanca or Nara in Japan.

Organised by: The Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center, University of Salamanca（Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés, Universidad de Salamanca)

Co-organised by: Japan Camera Industry Institute, Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative

Concept and Production: Media Art League

Photo permits by: Hōryū-ji Temple

Photography, text and video by: Miro Ito

English editing by: Andreas Boettcher

Spanish editing by: The Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center, University of Salamanca

Endorsed by: Embassy of Japan in Spain; Japan Foundation, Madrid

Production of cine-poetry: Nara Prefecture

Funded by: The Tokyo Club

The Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji and Prince Shōtoku

(La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku)

Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés (Universidad de Salamanca)

Dates: 16th March to 19th June 2026

Opening hours: Monday to Friday (11:00 AM to 1:45 PM, 5:30 PM to 8:45 PM)

Address: Pl. de San Boal, 13, 37002 Salamanca, Spain
Tel: +34 923 29 45 60
URL: https://www.centrojapones.es/exposicion-templo-horyuji-2026/

Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku

Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku