Enjoji Temple main hall ceiling painting Request for donations to restoration project　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（Donation has ended）

The main hall of Enjoji Temple has a lattice ceiling in both the inner, middle, and outer halls, and each lattice space is filled with brightly colored paintings of mostly flowers and a few birds and animals.
More than 2,000 people participated in the public open house held recently a few days including the day of the Daiba Shrine Spring Festival.
However, in recent years, parts of this precious cultural heritage, such as those in the hallways, have shown significant damage.
Enjoji Temple will celebrate its 1300th anniversary in 2015. Taking this opportunity, the temple is planning to restore the paintings on the ceiling of the main hall and restore the Buddhist statues and other objects that have been damaged by deterioration over time.
Buddhism, which was introduced to Japan during the era of Prince Shotoku and has been the spiritual stronghold of the Japanese people for a long time, is currently facing a crisis second to that of the Meiji era's Haibutsu-kishaku (anti-Buddhist) movement.
In order to pass on this precious Buddhist culture to future generations, which could lead to an irreversible situation if left untreated, we would like to ask for your donations.

　 □ 　Purpose of restoring the ceiling painting Hongu-san Enjo-ji, Hongusan Enjoji will celebrate the 1300th anniversary of its founding in 2015 (2015 AD). As an event to commemorate this occasion, we planned to restore the 161 paintings painted on the ceiling of the main hall corridor.
This project to restore and dedicate the ceiling painting has not only the religious significance of offering a memorial service to the "Thousand-armed Kanzeon Bodhisattva", the principal image of Enjo-ji Temple, which has had a miraculous effect since the Nara period, but also it also has a social significance, restoring the sentiment that celebrates the preciousness of all life in this world, which appears in the ceiling paintings, we believe. It goes without saying that the cultural significance of the restoration of Edo period Japanese paintings, which are highly acclaimed around the world, is enormous.
Additionally, in order to contribute to the promotion of local culture and the revitalization of the region through this project, the Fukutake Educational and Cultural Promotion Foundation has decided to provide a grant for cultural activities in 2009.

□ 　How to restore As a result of several on-site surveys, we came to the conclusion that restoration was necessary due to the severe deterioration and the difficulty of repair, and with the guidance and cooperation of Professor Koichi Ogawa's group at Okayama University, we were able to make this a reality. The restoration method was to copy "Photo B", a part of the corridor ceiling painting that will be restored this time, onto a new board, and to finish the color referring to the colors of "Photo A", the ceiling painting inside the main hall whose colors have been preserved.
　　

• Photo A: "Ceiling painting inside the main hall"
  It is in good condition and will not be subject to this restoration.

  

• Photo B “Ceiling painting of the main hall exterior corridor”
  Significantly deteriorated and will be restored (161 photos in total).

  

□Request for donations
Enjoji Temple is currently asking for donations of donations needed for this project.
The temple would like to ask for the support of as many people as possible, to complete this ceiling painting as a project in which many people can participate, and we sincerely hope that, by the brilliance of new life in each ceiling painting, the temple will fulfill its role as a temple that "lights up a coner of the world".
Donations are limited to 5,000 yen per donation, and each donor's name will be written on the ceiling painting according to the number of donations as shown in the reference image. However, please note that this is the standard, and if there are a large number of donors, more names than planned may be written on one sheet.
In addition, if the amount donated exceeds the cost of restoring the ceiling painting, it will be used for commemorative projects of the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the mountain. Thank you very much for your support.