The most poignant work in Kyoto National Museum's "Treasures of a Great Zen Temple, The Nanzenji: Commemorating the 700th Memorial Year of Emperor Kameyama" is a hand scroll titled "Prayer for the Prosperity of Zenrinzenji [Nanzenji]" from the hand of Emperor Kameyama himself.
The scroll's power to move lies in the fact that this once "great" temple, for whose prosperity the emperor prayed, is a shadow of its former self. Though still impressive, the grounds of Nanzenji Temple have been radically downsized over the years since its foundation in the late 13th century. The sub-temples have dwindled from 62, at its peak, to only a dozen or so.
As if to reinforce that fact, the most recent work identifiable in this exhibition -- an ink sketch of "The Dragon of the Nanzenji Ceremony Hall Ceiling" by Imao Keine -- is dated simply "Meiji, 19th century." That suggests the relation between Nanzenji and significant art-making came to an effective end more than 100 years ago.
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