KURENBOH, a part of the Chohouin Buddhist Temple of Kuramae, Tokyo, is what we have called a “Meditation Gallery.” In it, we have sought to create a meeting place for modern culture and Japanese Buddhism. The gallery (a non-profit, non-commercial entity) opened on September 11th, 2006, and is a set of three small rooms created by the architect Makoto Yokomizo. It is based on the traditional scheme of the Chashitsu, or Tea Ceremony-Room, accommodates only two or three people at a time, and is of a minimalist but elegant design characterized by whiteness, purity and silence. In this unusual space, all architectural corners are rounded, distances become indistinct, and works of art appear with exceptional vividness. The gallery aims to calm the mind of the visitor, to enable him or her to concentrate entirely on the art at hand, to wander mentally within the universe of the artist, and through this, to have a little of the kind of transcendent experience that, following another path, people have sought to reach through the disciplines of Buddhist meditative practice.
We intend to present one or two solo shows each year, from time to time inviting particular artists to produce new work with Kurenboh’s unique setting specifically in mind. The first Kurenboh exhibition (September, 2006 to March, 2007) includes work by Adam Fuss, Daido Moriyama, Wolfgang Tillmans, Naoya Hatakeyama,Hiroshi Sugimoto and Yuki Onodera. Mr. Hatakeyama’s one-man exhibition “A Bird” was on view from April 4th to May 17th.
The gallery’s name, Kurenboh, is composed of three Japanese characters: KU means Nothingness or Emptiness, one of the essential concepts in Buddhist thought; REN means Lotus, which in Buddhist imagery represents the flourishing of the beautiful out of muck and dirt, the emergence of the pure and perfect out of the troubled, human world; BOH means study room. It is our hope that Kurenboh will be a place in which Buddhism, an ancient system of thought, inhales the air of modernity, and in which – at the same time – the Buddhist point-of-view applies itself to modern works of art, helping viewers to search them for new meanings.
Kurenboh welcomes visitors from around the world, by appointment.
*Gallery closes except exhibition period.
Director/Jushoku Rev. Akiyoshi Taniguchi
VISITOR REGULATIONS Or Gallery Regulations
Kurenboh Gallery is located within the confines of a small temple, called Chohouin. Please come to the temple gate at the appointed time, and the priest will guide you to the gallery. Now, please be aware that this is an active temple. Except for when they are taking reservations and guiding gallery visitors, staff are busy conducting temple duties.
Appointments may be reserved in advance by email. Day of and day before requests are not guaranteed. Therefore we recommend reserving far in advance. During an exhibition, one hour reservations are available between ten am and three pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The gallery will close at four. One reservation per person, please. Only one person may enter the space at a time. Visitors who come to the temple without a reservation will not be able to enter the gallery. Please be punctual for your appointment time.
Outside of exhibition times, the gallery is closed. There is no fixed admission fee, however we request voluntary contributions to the temple. Thank you in advance for your support.
Please take off your shoes before entering the space. Please do not bring large luggage inside the gallery. Indoor photography is prohibited without prior arrangement. Please do not be barefoot, but wear socks in the gallery.
In the event of a sudden cancellation day of, please let us know as soon as possible via phone or email. In rare cases, appointments may need to be cancelled due to temple observances. Thank you for your understanding.
We hope that you can view the artwork with quiet tranquility.