Jun Tokuyama’s “Sanskrit Buddhist Art Exhibition” at Omotesando:: The World of Written Buddhas with Prayers for a Thousand Years
古代インドの文字「梵字」を仏そのものとして表現する書の世界に焦点を当てた展覧会「徳山暉純 梵字仏教美術展覧会」が、2025年4月1日から東京都港区のidea galleryで始まった。会期は4月30日までで、月曜休館。
An exhibition focusing on the world of calligraphy, which expresses the ancient Indian script “Sanskrit” as Buddha himself, “Tokuyama Kijun Sanskrit Buddhist Art Exhibition” began on April 1, 2025 at ideaa gallery in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The exhibition will run through April 30 and is closed on Mondays.
本展は、2023年に上野の森美術館で開催された大型個展以来、2年ぶりの開催となる。前回は5日間で約3,000人が来場した実績があり、今回も徳山暉純による書と仏教美術の代表作が数多く並ぶ。併せて、梵字の継承を掲げた認定梵字作家による作品も公開され、新たな表現の可能性を伝える場となっている。
This exhibition is the first time in two years since a major solo exhibition was held at the Ueno Royal Museum in 2023. The previous exhibition attracted approximately 3,000 visitors over a five-day period, and this year’s exhibition will again feature many representative works of calligraphy and Buddhist art by Kijun Tokuyama. In addition, works by certified Sanskrit artists who are committed to the inheritance of the Sanskrit script will also be on display, providing a venue for new possibilities of expression.
梵字は古代インドのサンスクリット語を記述する「悉曇文字（しったんもじ）」に由来し、日本には仏教とともに伝来した。密教においては文字自体が仏の象徴とされ、護符や経典に用いられた歴史を持つ。徳山はこの伝統を現代に継ぎ、書を通して祈りの世界を表現する活動を国内外で展開してきた。
Sanskrit characters are derived from the Sanskrit script of ancient India, which was introduced to Japan along with Buddhism. In esoteric Buddhism, the characters themselves were regarded as symbols of Buddha and were used in amulets and scriptures. Tokuyama has carried on this tradition in the modern age and has been active both in Japan and abroad in expressing the world of prayer through calligraphy.
徳山暉純は、1976年から米国カリフォルニアを拠点に日本文化の普及活動を開始し、「梵字手帖」などの著作を通して梵字の理解と実践を広めてきた書家・仏教美術家。近年は梵字を「文字仏」として芸術の領域に昇華させる試みを続けており、本展もその集大成のひとつと位置づけられる。
Based in California, U.S.A., Tokuyama has been active in promoting Japanese culture since 1976. He is a calligrapher and Buddhist artist who has spread the understanding and practice of Braille through his books such as “Braille Handbooks. In recent years, he has been attempting to sublimate Sanskrit script into the realm of art as “written Buddhism,” and this exhibition is positioned as one of the culmination of his efforts.
主催は一般財団法人聖徳學院、後援は日産グローバル株式会社。徳山の作品に込められた「千年の祈り」を、表参道の静謐な空間で体感できる貴重な機会となっている。
The exhibition is organized by Seitoku Gakuin Foundation and supported by Nissan Global Co. This exhibition is a rare opportunity to experience the “thousand-year prayer” contained in Tokuyama’s works in the serene space of Omotesando.
詳細はこちら
