Kyoto, Japan- In marking the 370th anniversary of the founding of Ryukoku University, located just across the street from Hongwanji is the newly-built Ryukoku Museum. On September 6, a ceremony celebrating the completion of the museum was attended by University and Hongwanji officials. The opening ceremony will be conducted in April 2011 and the first exhibition will include artifacts related to Amida Buddha and Shinran Shonin to commemorate the 750th Memorial for Shinran Shonin, which will be observed at Hongwanji. The three-story museum (4400 m2) is among the largest museums built by private universities in Japan. The exhibition rooms will be located on the second and third floors and will include a full-scale replica of the Bezeklik Caves and museum theater. The first floor will include a café and multi-purpose room that will be made available for use by the community.
The front exterior of the museum is decorated with wooden blinds symbolizing the waves as mentioned in the compositions of the 36 celebrated poets of Hongwanji. In addition, through the exhibits of Buddhist artifacts which are recognized as cultural assets, it is hoped that the Buddhist teaching will spread likes waves to the rest of the world.

(Excerpt from Hongwanji Journal, September 1, 2010)