Workshop - Prince Shōtoku: The Secrets Within

Deknatel Lecture Theater, Harvard Art Museum, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA 02138

A gift of Walter C. Sedgwick ’69, the sculpture of Shōtoku Taishi at Age Two is not only one of the best-known and well-loved objects housed at the Harvard Art Museums, but also the oldest extant image of the putative father of Japanese Buddhism in the world. This sculpture is valued for both its aesthetic qualities and its mysteries within – a cache of 70 dedicatory objects, or nōnyūhin, discovered inside its hollow body cavity, undisturbed since their insertion some 700 years ago. Offering a unique opportunity for sustained and repeated examination, the entire ensemble has drawn intense interest from a wide range of scholars, spanning the disciplines of religion, art history, history, and conservation science.

This study day workshop, led by Dr. Rachel Saunders, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Associate Curator of Asian Art at the Harvard Art Museums, aims to deepen the understanding of this important Buddhist icon. Coinciding with the exhibition opening at the Harvard Art Museums, the study day workshop will feature presentations by Harvard faculty and several invited scholars, as well as a collaborative in-gallery conversation with Harvard graduate students.

For a detailed workshop schedule, please see the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies webpage.

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