Transcending National Treasures: Baekje’s cultural legacy bookends major Nara exhibition

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Transcending National Treasures: Baekje’s cultural legacy bookends major Nara exhibition

Published: 25 Apr. 2025, 00:05

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kang Hye-ran

The author is a senior reporter on culture at the JoongAng Ilbo.

At the entrance to the Nara National Museum’s special exhibition stands a wooden statue of Avalokiteshvara, a striking 2.1-meter-tall figure with a graceful, elongated form and a tranquil smile. Behind the Bodhisattva’s head radiates a halo resembling sunflower petals. The sculpture is the opening piece in Oh! KOKUHŌ: Resplendent Treasures of Devotion and Heritage, a landmark exhibition showcasing 143 objects, including 112 designated National Treasures of Japan and 16 Important Cultural Properties.

Rear view of the Kudara Avalokiteshvara (Baekje Gwaneum) statue at the Nara National Museum. [KANG HYE-RAN]

A wall panel identifies the piece as “Standing Statue of Avalokiteshvara (Kudara Kannon).” In parentheses, the Korean interpretation is included, referencing “Baekje Avalokiteshvara.” The term “Kudara” is the Japanese reading of Baekje, an ancient Korean kingdom that existed from 18 B.C. to A.D. 660 , suggesting the statue’s deep cross-cultural origins. Created during the Asuka period (A.D. 592 - 710), its provenance remains debated — whether it was made in Baekje and brought to Japan, crafted locally by Baekje artisans, or shaped by their stylistic influence. The museum’s multilingual panels reflect these interpretive tensions. What is clear, however, is that the sculpture embodies the rich cultural dialogue between Baekje and early Japan.

The final highlight of the exhibition offers another symbol of that historic exchange: the Seven-Branched Sword. Measuring nearly 75 centimeters, the iron blade features six protruding side branches and an inscription of more than 60 characters. It notes the year A.D. 369 and claims the sword was made by the Baekje crown prince for the king of Wa, an ancient Japanese state. While Japanese scholars interpret it as a tribute, Koreans view it as a gift. The museum’s Korean-language panel carefully frames it as “a rare and precious artifact illuminating the depth of Korea-Japan cultural exchange across 1,600 years.”

The exhibition commemorates the 130th anniversary of the museum’s founding. The Nara National Museum was established in 1895, following the Meiji Restoration and a growing interest in preserving Japan’s cultural heritage. Though the institution has undergone several reorganizations, its mission of public access and preservation remains.

Coinciding with the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, the exhibition is part of a wider celebration of East Asian heritage. At the Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka, for example, the Yi Byeong-chang Collection — donated by a Korean Japanese businessman — is featured in a survey of East Asian celadon.

As exhibitions like Oh! KOKUHŌ invite reflection not only on where treasures were created but where they are preserved and shared, they also prompt a broader question: not who owns the past, but how its meanings are carried into the future. In opening and closing with Baekje’s legacy, Nara’s latest showcase quietly affirms that cultural heritage knows no borders.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.