The Secrets of Muryōji Temple’s Painted Sliding Screens

“There are secrets all around us.”
I felt as if I saw the clear and proud form of Rosetsu Nagasawa standing before the spectators that had come to see his finished paintings. He must have realized that he had plotted out his self-portrait here at Muryōji Temple, even if he wouldn’t call it that. He probably chuckles to himself as he watches the spectators.

That’s what I imagine. How do you feel about his work?

The most famous of Rosetsu’s paintings is the one of the tiger painted on a fusuma, or a sliding screen. Its charming face fascinates all who see it, and it was painted here at Muryōji Temple by Rosetsu himself. Within this painting lie ideas about the room, and how it should be arranged. In other words, there are many reasons to come and observe this place directly, instead of through pictures on the Internet or in books.

Of course, Rosetsu didn’t leave us a manual for understanding his works, so everything we know about them is based on remarks from people who came later. Yet still, we’d like you to experience Rosetsu’s wild ideas and travel through his time here at Muryōji Temple as you follow along the strokes of his brush.