Rituals & Celebrations

Sun Joo Kim, Harvard-Yenching Professor of Korean history in the department of East Asian languages and civilizations and Director of Korea Institute, Harvard University, gives a talk on the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) in conjunction with the exhibition, In Grand Style: Celebrations in Korean Art During the Joseon Dynasty at the Asian Art Museum.

“If the Qur’an is indeed a divine message to all peoples, what does it mean to an individual American in the 21st century?”

This is the question that artist Sandow Birk contemplated during his extensive travels through the Islamic world, which ultimately led to his nine-year project to transcribe and illustrate the entire Qur’an. Birk will present his project, American Qur’an, which finds connections between the universality of the messages in the sacred text and contemporary American life.

Birk will be joined by Bay Area artist Ala Ebtekar; Qamar Adamjee, Malavalli Family Foundation Associate Curator of Art of the Indian Subcontinent; and Jeffrey Durham, Associate Curator of Himalayan Art, to discuss the roles art has played in religious and political contexts.

The traditions—Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushanokojisenke—provide instruction in the Way of Tea to students around the world. Learn more.

Fudo Myoo (the Immovable One) is one of the powerful deities known as the Five Bright Kings in Japanese Buddhism and folk religion. As a manifestation of the central cosmic Buddha Mahavairochana (Japanese: Dainichi), Fudo is believed to protect Buddhism and its true adherents. Like all Bright Kings, Fudo assumes a frightening form, with a sword in his right hand and a rope in his left. He sits in front of a swiring flame of fire, with which he purifies evil.

In this video, Buddhist monk artists, Seol-min (formerly known as Jae-u) and Myung Chun discuss Korean Buddhist art and paint the Guardian King of the West, which is now in the Asian Art Museum’s collection. This video also includes footage from a symbolic “eye-opening” ceremony, which took place at the museum on December 20, 2003.

Inspired by the British Museum’s video Hajj Stories, staff at the Asian Art Museum asked Bay Area Muslims who have performed the hajj to share experiences of their journeys.

Inspired by the British Museum’s video Hajj Stories, staff at the Asian Art Museum asked Bay Area Muslims who have performed the hajj to share experiences of their journeys.

Join ABC7 and the Asian Art Museum as we travel to Korea to explore the origins of the artworks in the exhibition, In Grand Style: Korean Art During the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), and how they continue to influence the food, travel, and lifestyle in Korea today.

The annual Bell-Ringing Ceremony follows the Japanese custom in which the end-of-the-year bell (joya no kane) is struck 108 times before midnight on New Year’s Eve, symbolically welcoming the New Year and curbing the 108 mortal desires (bonno), which according to Buddhist belief torment humankind.