Saidaiji, located in Okayama Prefecture, will celebrate its 1250th anniversary in 2028. Due to its long history, Saidaiji has never had a designated temple crest until now. To mark the 1250th anniversary, a new temple crest was established for the first time, and a new crest was designed and dedicated.

This temple crest depicts the magnificent process of human evolution in the universe. It depicts the cyclical process in which humans unconsciously receive wisdom from gods and Buddhas, and through the various dramas of life, sublimate it into new human wisdom, which is then offered to gods and Buddhas.

The arch extending downward from the top represents the wisdom of gods and Buddhas, while the two arches at the bottom represent the spiritual and physical foundations of human existence. The human spirit, which starts from these foundations, is represented by an arch extending powerfully upward, but in the process, humans experience various karmas. This is represented by the three arches on the left and right. After going through various reincarnations, humans sublimate the wisdom they unconsciously receive from gods and Buddhas and create a new human spirit in the form of a ball. The downward-facing arch at the top of the ball represents the antennae of the gods, and humans offer the new spirit they have created to the gods, completing the cycle.

We designed a special limited edition Gohonzon Opening Ceremony amulet especially for the 1250th anniversary of the temple’s founding.

The 11 scattered temple crests are inspired by the Eleven-Headed Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva, the principal image of Saidaiji, which is opened to the public only once every 33 years. They represent Kannon Bodhisattva, with his 11 faces looking out in all directions and his thousand arms seeking to save all living beings.

Traditional amulets, which are usually made from woven fabric, have been reinterpreted in a modern way by combining transparent acrylic material and iridescent foil stamping.

Visual identity for the 1250th anniversary of the founding of the temple, the Great Ceremony. The year 2028 marks the 1250th anniversary of the founding of the temple, and is also the year when the Gohonzon will be unveiled, which occurs once every 33 years. As a visual identity befitting this great ceremony, we designed a divine graphic with the image of a pillar of light.

The design not only evokes the image of divine light radiating from the Gohonzon spilling out when the doors where the Gohonzon is enshrined are opened, but also the image of people being inspired when they come face to face with the Gohonzon, as if a pillar of light connecting their inner selves to the divine spirit stands within each individual.