Introduction
Thank you for visiting the "YABUUCHI Satoshi in Todai-ji: 'The Sun and Flowers'" exhibition. This exhibition took place as one of the charity activities held to celebrate the 1250th anniversary of the consecration of the Great Buddha which housed in Todai-ji temple.
The theme of "The Sun and Flowers" was chosen to represent the unlimited benevolence that flows "like the sun from the Birushana-Butsu (Vairocana)" whose image the Great Buddha embodies and the lotus flowers which are the stage upon which all phenomena and life, born of this blessing, exist.
The origins of my work as a sculptor are to be found in Nara. I still look back fondly to the days when I was involved in the study and restoration of ancient Buddhist statues and travelled regularly to Nara to visit the various temples there. Since withdrawing from the restoration field fifteen years ago, I have used the techniques that I "learned from Buddha" through handling these cultural properties, to express the spiritual world of the Japanese people in quiet, nostalgic forms. However, even today, whenever I return to Nara, I face the Great Buddha and say, "I'm home."
The Great Buddha has been destroyed twice, since it was first consecrated 1250 years ago, but each time it arose from the ashes like the phoenix, to come down to us in its present form and receive the worship of the people in a way that is truly miraculous. When I think of last year's destruction of the statues of Buddha at Bamian, I appreciate this fact all the more. This exhibition was made possible by the efforts of numerous people who venerate the Great Buddha and I would like to join with the exhibition committee who arranged for this event to offer my sincere thanks to various corporations who offered their unstinting cooperation, the owners of the works, the supporting members of the exhibition, who number in excess of 350, and finally, to priests of Todai-ji for their assistance and understanding, for their loan of the hall and for their help in a myriad other ways. Thank you very much.
YABUUCHI Satoshi/Sculptor
After the exhibition ended, the exhibition committee donated some of the works to the Todai-ji Seishien school for the handicapped.