Hiroshi Sugimoto: ‘The deeper I explore Shinto and Buddhist art, the more it reveals the shallowness of contemporary art’
‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’, at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan, sees the acclaimed photographer draw on Japan’s spiritual past and present
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

It doesn’t get more site-specific than ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’. The new exhibition at Kasuga-Taisha, an 8th-century Shinto Shrines complex in the ancient city of Nara in Japan’s Kinki region reflects the close relationship between the Kasuga-embraced Japanese artist and the sacred site.
Sugimoto, whose artistic expression spans sculpture, photography, performing art and architecture, is also an acclaimed collector of Shinto and Buddhist antiques, notably from Kasuga. For Sugimoto, Shinto – a Japanese animist religion dating back to the 8th century whose minimalist aesthetics are the foundation of Japanese refinement – came first. Then Buddhism spread in Japan and the two were fused.
Kankitsuzan panoramic view, a folding screen display which forms part of ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’ at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
‘Kasuga’s art came to me, it’s not the other way round,’ he says. ‘I learn immensely from the masterpieces I collect. They are so inspiring. Now that our civilisation is on a downhill trajectory, we should learn from the beauty of ancient times. The deeper I explore Shinto and Buddhist art, the more it reveals the shallowness of contemporary art’, quips the artist. ‘I buy antiques by selling my artworks. My collection generates a circular system.’
Thoughtfully curated under the supervision of Sugimoto, the show is composed of two chapters. The National Treasure House showcases more than 90 Kasuga antiques, such as Kakemonos, objects and masks from the 12h to the 19th century, including pieces selected from the artist’s private collection.
Five Elements, installation view of ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’ at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
To connect heritage and modernity, Sugimoto has adorned the back of a deer statuette with one of his iconic works, five elements, a miniature five-storey tower made of optic glass. (According to Shinto mythology, the Kasuga god appeared on the back of this sacred animal.) If this chapter indicates the artist’s creative motivations, his new works reveal a bold new direction.
Large – 215cm x 565cm – folding screens of colour photography are spread across eight panels. For this, he employed the latest digital techniques using emulsion coating to fix enlarged platinum prints on Japanese paper Washi, an experimental approach Sugimoto has been exploring in recent years. Platinum prints feature richer nuances of black, which add striking depth to the artist’s photography, while Washi, with its thick, matte, textured quality, serves as the perfect material for Japanese-style screens.
View of Kasuga-Taisha, a folding screen display in the Treasure House Installation view of ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’ at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
A folding screen display of Kasuga-Taisha with wisteria in bloom, in the Treasure House. Part of ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’ at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
Two folding screens displayed in the Treasure House show panoramic images of the Kasuga Grand Shrine, captured during different conditions, from different angles. But the most spectacular can be found at Wakamiya-Jinja, a 12th-century auxiliary shrine in the upper area of the worship site. Placed in Kagura-den, a hall facing the shrine and dedicated to holy dance and music is the Kankitsuzan mountain folding screen. The landscape depicts the vast site of the Enoura Observatory-Odawara Art Foundation, established by Sugimoto himself in Kanagawa to house his architectural masterpieces, artefacts and Shinto art collection. A small red gateway on the image is a subsidiary Kasuga shrine that was re-enshrined earlier this year.
At the other end of the hall is a monochrome photograph of air and water, one of the poetic seascapes from the ink painting-like photography series Kaikei, shot around the world over decades. The Japan Sea, immortalised in Sugimoto’s photography in 1987 has been displayed in many different situations but looks particularly dignified in this sanctuary. Indeed, nothing is by accident for Sugimoto, and everything relates to celebration and respect for nature. ‘Though the ancient animist mind appears to be vanishing in modern civilisation, it still remains in the heart of Japanese people. This is what appears in my artistic expression’, says the artist. ‘I feel so blessed. Sometimes I receive revelations in my dreams about my next work.’
Oki from Kaikei series. Installation view of ‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’ at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan
‘Hiroshi Sugimoto – The Descent of the Kasuga Spirit’, is on view until 13 March 2023 at the Kasuga-Taisha shrine in Nara, Japan. kasugataisha.or.jp (opens in new tab); sugimotohiroshi.com (opens in new tab)
Minako Norimatsu is a Japanese journalist and consultant based in Paris. Extremely curious about everything creative, her field ranges from fashion to art, dance, hospitality and travel. She has interviewed many Japanese fashion designers and artists for Wallpaper*, as well as non-Japanese creatives whose inspirations are drawn from Japan.
-
Apartment interior design: outstanding spaces around the globe
Apartment interiors can be tricky to balance. Create a sense of space and get inspired by our global edit of architect-designed ideas. From minimalist mezzanines and lofts that bridge old and new, to sleek urban penthouses and dramatic transformations
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Zegna’s ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker captures the house’s 112 years of innovation
Zegna’s signature ‘Triple Stitch’ sneaker returns for S/S 2023, now available in luxurious fabrications – from grained leather to canvas and soft suede
By Jack Moss • Published
-
We’re waxing lyrical over these luxury candles
At a loss when it comes to finding the perfect indulgence or gift? Explore our edit of luxury candles for some bright ideas
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Artist’s Palate: Chiharu Shiota’s recipe for okonomiyaki
Get tangled up in Chiharu Shiota’s recipe for okonomiyaki, from our January 2023 issue’s Artist’s Palate feature, a Wallpaper* homage to our favourite contemporary art
By TF Chan • Published
-
‘East Meets West’: artists Samiro Yunoki and Kori Girard unite at Ace Hotel Kyoto
Art exhibition, ‘East Meets West’ at Ace Hotel Kyoto marks Japanese artist Samiro Yunoki’s 100th birthday, in dialogue with new works by American artist Kori Girard
By Pei-Ru Keh • Last updated
-
teamLab: how a Tokyo art collective pioneered an immersive art boom
With an operatic intervention and a show at Pace Geneva, teamLab, the now-700-strong Tokyo-based collective that blazed a trail for experiential, tech-fuelled art, continues to value ‘physical interaction in physical space’
By Nick Compton • Last updated
-
Tanabe Chikuunsai IV wraps Casa Loewe Barcelona in 6,000 strips of tiger bamboo
Inside the newly revamped Casa Loewe Barcelona, Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV reflects on family traditions and environmental destruction with a staggering bamboo installation
By Malaika Byng • Last updated
-
Botanical sculptor Azuma Makoto creates a sculptural ecosystem at Mexico’s SFER IK
Japanese artist Azuma Makoto’s largest flower sculpture to date responds to SFER IK’s unique biophilic design and the surrounding wilderness
By Pei-Ru Keh • Last updated
-
Valley Gallery by Tadao Ando is Naoshima's newest art pilgrimage site
The latest addition to Japan’s Benesse Art Site, Tadao Ando’s Valley Gallery is a geometric gem that makes the most of its remote setting
By Joanna Kawecki • Last updated
-
Chiharu Shiota’s ‘labyrinth within a labyrinth’ at Copenhagen’s Cisternerne
Chiharu Shiota has become the latest artist to take over the arched depths of Copenhagen’s Cisternerne. Titled Multiple Realities, her installation is a poetic landscape of web-like yarn, both serene and unsettling
By Minako Norimatsu • Last updated
-
Photographer Takashi Homma on Bach, punk and working with ‘no preparation’
‘Through the lens’ is our monthly series that throws the spotlight on photographers who are Wallpaper* contributors. Here we explore Takashi Homma’s vision further
By Sophie Gladstone • Last updated