“The Art of the Lotus Sutra” at Suntory Museum of Art from December 12, with the National Treasure Bronze Plaque and the Elephant and Lion Shown for the First Time Since Acquisition

“The Art of the Lotus Sutra: To Make Is to Pray” will be held from Saturday, December 12, 2026, to Sunday, February 7, 2027, at Suntory Museum of Art (Tokyo Midtown Galleria 3F, Roppongi, Tokyo). The Lotus Sutra teaches that all people can equally attain Buddhahood and be saved from the sufferings of this world. The exhibition traces works based on the Lotus Sutra from ancient to early modern times through three themes, “building pagodas,” “copying and dedicating sutras” and “making images,” and also looks at the relationship between the Lotus Sutra faith of early modern painters and their creative work. Works will be changed during the exhibition to protect them.

Why now? A sutra that regarded “making” as a good deed

According to the museum, the Lotus Sutra originated in India and reached Japan in the Asuka period. It taught that acts of “making,” such as copying sutras, adornment and building pagodas and Buddhist images, were “sazen,” good deeds leading to salvation. For that reason, faith and art developed as one.

The Important Cultural Property “Elephant and Lion,” acquired by the museum in 2025, is also shown for the first time in this exhibition. A pair from the Kamakura period (12th century), they are thought to have been the animal mounts of the bodhisattvas Fugen and Monju. Their sculptural features and the surviving patterns of coloring and kirikane (cut gold leaf) are highlighted. The works listed on the exhibition structure page alone include three National Treasures.

What can visitors see? From the prologue to early modern painters

Prologue: “The Most Excellent True Teaching, Like a White Lotus”

Introduces how the Lotus Sutra came into being and how Kumarajiva’s translation in 8 fascicles and 28 chapters spread across East Asia. The “Seated Shaka Nyorai” of 1138 (Hoen 4; Horyu-ji, Nara) is on display throughout, and the Important Cultural Property “Lotus Sutra Mandala” (Kamakura period; Kaijusen-ji, Kyoto) from January 13.

Chapter 1: “Building Pagodas: Symbols of the Dharma, Raising Prayers”

Taking up the significance of stupas and the scene in the “Apparition of the Jeweled Stupa” chapter in which Taho Nyorai appears with a stupa, this chapter shows the varied depictions of pagodas. The National Treasure “Bronze Plaque of the Lotus Sutra” (Asuka–Nara period; Hase-dera, Nara) and 12 of the 37 “clay pagoda sutras” excavated from the Chishaku-ji sutra mound (Kamakura period) are on display throughout.

Chapter 2: “Copying and Dedicating Sutras: The Imperishable Lotus Sutra, Perfected in Goodness and Beauty”

Introduces sutra copying and decorated sutras of the Heian period, dedications to sutra mounds and their connection to the idea of mappo (the Latter Day of the Law). The National Treasure “Fan-shaped Lotus Sutra Booklet, Volume 1” (Heian period; Shitenno-ji, Osaka) is shown from January 13, with scene changes. The National Treasure “Gilt and Silvered Sutra Box with Hosoge Arabesque” (1031 [Chogen 4]; Enryaku-ji, Shiga), excavated at Yokawa on Mount Hiei, can be seen throughout.

Chapter 3: “Making Images: Buddhist Figures Entrusted with Prayers”

Deals with the buddhas who appear in the Lotus Sutra and the prayers embedded in making their images. The Important Cultural Property “Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon” (Kamakura period; Gango-ji of the Kegon sect, Nara) is on display throughout, and the Important Cultural Property “Fugen and the Ten Rakshasa Daughters” (Kamakura period; Nara National Museum) from January 13. The “Elephant and Lion,” shown for the first time since acquisition, is also on display throughout.

Epilogue: “Early Modern Art and the Lotus Sutra”

Introduces the faith held by painters and cultural figures such as the Kano school, the Hon’ami family and Katsushika Hokusai as Lotus Sutra belief spread in the early modern period. Kano Tan’yu’s “The Persecution of Saint Nichiren at Tatsunokuchi” (1673 [Kanbun 13]; Honpo-ji, Kyoto) is shown only in the first half, from December 12 to January 11. The total number of works had not been announced as of October 20.

Note the changes of works: The National Treasure “Fan-shaped Lotus Sutra Booklet” from January 13

Of the works listed on the exhibition structure page, the Important Cultural Property “Lotus Sutra Mandala,” the National Treasure “Fan-shaped Lotus Sutra Booklet, Volume 1” and the Important Cultural Property “Fugen and the Ten Rakshasa Daughters” are shown from January 13 to February 7, and Kano Tan’yu’s “The Persecution of Saint Nichiren at Tatsunokuchi” from December 12 to January 11. The other listed works are on display throughout.

Tickets, prices and related events

Admission for adults is ¥1,800 on the day and ¥1,600 in advance; for university students, ¥1,200 and ¥1,000; and for high school students, ¥1,000 and ¥800. Junior high school students and younger are free. Holders of a disability certificate and one caregiver are admitted free. Limited-quantity advance pair tickets cost ¥3,000 and can also be used as a two-visit ticket. Advance tickets are sold until Friday, December 11, through the official online ticket site, Lawson Ticket (L-code 35309) and Seven Ticket (Seven code 116-487). Advance sales at the museum reception are limited to open days through November 8.

There is also the “Atoro-wari” discount of ¥100 for showing a ticket to a special exhibition at The National Art Center, Tokyo or the Mori Art Museum, and a group discount (¥100 off) for 20 or more people. Showing an admission sticker or ticket stub from the current exhibition at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT also qualifies for a discount. Discounts cannot be combined. How to visit the three Roppongi museums is summarized in our Roppongi Art Triangle guide.

• Lecture “The Merit of Building Pagodas”: Sunday, January 10, 14:00–15:30. The lecturer is Satomi Yamamoto (professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University), taking up the three-story pagoda of Saimyo-ji in Shiga Prefecture and transformation paintings of the Lotus Sutra. Paid, with advance online registration (first come, first served). For high school students and older

• Exhibition lectures by curators: Sundays, December 20 and January 24, from 11:00 and 14:00 (about 40 minutes each). Free, no registration required, for high school students and older

• Viewing guides by educators: Saturdays, December 19, January 9, January 23 and February 6, from 11:00 and 14:00 (about 20 minutes each). Free, no registration required

Opening hours, closing days and access

Opening hours are 10:00–18:00, until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturday, February 6 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). The museum is closed on Tuesdays and over the year-end and New Year holidays, from Tuesday, December 29 to Friday, January 1 (national holiday). Suntory Museum of Art is directly connected to Exit 8 of Roppongi Station on the Toei Oedo Line and connected by underground passage to Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (with stairs along the way). It is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda Line.

Editor’s perspective

The subtitle, “To Make Is to Pray,” echoes the Lotus Sutra’s teaching that copying sutras and building pagodas and images are good deeds. The exhibition organizes its chapters by type of “making” and finally turns its gaze to early modern painters. It is a structure that views religious art not only as a history of faith but also as a history of making. The National Treasure “Fan-shaped Lotus Sutra Booklet” and “Fugen and the Ten Rakshasa Daughters” are shown from January 13, and the Kano Tan’yu work until January 11, so it is worth timing a visit to the works you most want to see. The museum’s exhibitions marking the 20th anniversary of its opening in Roppongi in 2027 are introduced in a separate article.

Overview

Name: The Art of the Lotus Sutra: To Make Is to Pray
Dates: Saturday, December 12, 2026 – Sunday, February 7, 2027 (with changes of works during the exhibition)
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and February 6; last entry 30 minutes before closing)
Closed: Tuesdays, December 29 – January 1
Venue: Suntory Museum of Art
Address: Tokyo Midtown Galleria 3F, 9-7-4 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo
Admission: Adults ¥1,800 on the day / ¥1,600 in advance; university students ¥1,200 / ¥1,000; high school students ¥1,000 / ¥800; junior high school students and younger free
Organizer: Suntory Museum of Art
Sponsors: Mitsui Fudosan, Kajima Corporation, Suntory Holdings
Inquiries: 03-3479-8600
Official website: https://www.suntory.co.jp/sma/exhibition/2026_4/index.html
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: National Treasure “Bronze Plaque of the Lotus Sutra,” Hase-dera, Nara (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on materials from Suntory Museum of Art (press images) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team