Yoshino has long been revered as a mystical and enigmatic place where gods and immortals dwell. The rugged mountains of Omine, stretching from Yoshino to Kumano in Wakayama, are considered the birthplace of mountain asceticism. Since ancient times, people have ventured into this great wilderness seeking extraordinary powers or spiritual enlightenment. In particular, the area from Yoshino to Mount Sanjo in Omine was known as "Kinpusen," a sacred mountain believed to hide gold within. During the Heian period, emperors and high-ranking court nobles, including Fujiwara no Michinaga, made pilgrimages here in succession. Furthermore, the region remained a special place throughout various eras, as seen in the Nanboku-cho period when Emperor Go-Daigo established his political base within these mountains.
In recent years, a large number of fragments from the "Konshi Kinji-kyo" (Sutra written in gold on dark blue paper)—which Michinaga himself transcribed and dedicated to Kinpusen—were discovered at Kinpusen-ji Temple, garnering significant attention. Conservation and restoration work is currently underway to return these sutra scrolls, offered over 1,000 years ago to Kinpusen’s unique deity Zao Gongen, to their original form.
This exhibition marks the first public display of the National Treasure "Konshi Kinji-kyo," handwritten by Michinaga, following its restoration. It also brings together a wide array of treasures unique to this region, where nature and the worship of Shinto and Buddhist deities are intertwined. These include statues of En no Gyoja (the founder of mountain asceticism) and Zao Gongen, mandalas, mirror images, and various sacred statues to which people have offered their prayers.
Yoshino and Omine—a vast natural landscape of rolling mountains where gods and buddhas dwell—eventually became a sacred site for Shugendo and a famous destination for cherry blossoms. This exhibition fully introduces the history and allure of this region.
