Treasure Museum | 国宝瑞巌寺

Treasure Museum – Seiryūden

The Seiryūden temple crossing with over 1000 years of history, is recognized to be the greatest Zen temple of the Ōshū province (奥州: name for old Japan’s Mutsu(陸奥) province). With its notoriety as a temple and its large scale, it has been used since the 1st of October 1995 as an exhibition hall of the treasured articles of the Zuiganji temple.
The collection of roughly 30,000 articles is mainly constituted of room partition illustrations which have been mended for 10 years in a row and designed as national important cultural assets, portraits of the successive generations of the Date family, old piece of calligraphy, tea cups, portraits of the successive generations of chief priests, Zen monk writings (墨跡), paintings and documents of one of Japan’s three famous sights : Matsushima, as well as excavated articles of the Enoukiji temple dating of the Middles Age (Kamakura and Muromachi periods ).
The Seiryuden temple hosts permanent exhibitions as well as special exhibitions with various themes depending on the season.

Exhibition map

Wooden statues corner

Wooden statue of Date Masamune sitting wearing his armor and helmet (Cultural asset of Miyagi prefecture)

Life-size wooden statue of Date Masamune. Created in 1652 on the request of the feudal lord of the second generation Date Tadamune on the occasion of the 17th death anniversary of Date Masamune. The statue commemorates the imposing figure of Date Masamune during the Imjin War (1592-1597), and according to Masamune’s last request, the statue is furnished with both eyes visible.

Wooden statue of Date Masamune’s eldest daughter Tenrinin Irohahime (天麟院五郎八姫木像 – her name after entering the priesthood).

Wooden statue of Irohahime (五郎八姫), the eldest daughter of Date Masamune and his legal wife Megohime (愛姫).

Films & replicas corner

Painting representing the Buddhist service held on the day of Buddha’s death (仏涅槃図) as well as the one representing the lecture of Shakyamuni the founder of Buddhism (釈迦説法図) in color films (both cultural assets of Miyagi prefecture).
A replica of national important cultural asset : the Raikennohi (頼賢碑: a stone monument)

Permanent exhibition room

Display of paintings, crafts, handwritten notes, documents and other treasures related to the Date’s feudal lord family generations as well as chief priests of the Zuiganji temple which has been handed down from the Middle Ages till now.

Archeological exhibition corner

Display of stone memorial towers (板碑), water well, grave table made of bamboo (笹塔婆), celadon porcelain (青磁) and roof tiles of the Enpukuji temple(円福寺) of the Middle age excavated from the ground of the actual site of the museum.

Special exhibition corner

Display of the Zen monk writings which emerged from the Zen culture and object collection of the high priest Masanosuke (大宮司雅之輔).

Wall and sliding screen paintings exhibit room

Original wall paintings designated national important cultural assets are displayed in the “Raised room ・ Raised room of the raised room” (上段の間・上々段の間) of the main temple building.

Raised room

Raised room of the raised room

Main collection