Kokujō-ji temple in Tsubame City is removing the first series of its controversial “Ikemen picture scroll” for storage [1].

The move highlights the tension between preserving traditional religious spaces and the need for Buddhist institutions to evolve to survive in a modern society. As youth engagement with traditional temples declines, some institutions are adopting provocative art to remain relevant.

The second series of the scrolls, created by artist Ryoko Kimura, is currently on a limited public display running from April 10, 2026, to May 11, 2026 [2]. During the opening event on April 30, 2026, abbot Kotetsu Yamada said that the first series would be collected and stored following the current exhibition [3]. This rotation comes after a period of 18 years since the previous opening [3].

Yamaada said the goal of the project is to prevent the “temple drift” among young people [4]. By introducing “ikemen” — a Japanese term for handsome men — into the traditional scroll format, the temple hopes to draw a demographic that typically ignores cultural properties.

However, the initiative has not been universally praised. Some critics have argued that the modern, stylized artwork is not appropriate for a temple designated as a cultural property [5]. These critics said that the provocative nature of the scrolls undermines the prestige of the historic site [5].

Despite the pushback, the temple continues to utilize the exhibition as a tool for outreach. The limited window for the second series means visitors have until May 11, 2026, to view the works before the temple adjusts its display again [2].

““I want to prevent the temple drift among young people,” said abbot Kotetsu Yamada.”

The conflict at Kokujō-ji reflects a broader systemic crisis facing Japanese Buddhism, where aging populations and secularization have led to a sharp decline in temple attendance. By introducing pop-culture aesthetics into a designated cultural property, the temple is testing the limits of 'modernization' to see if aesthetic shock can overcome generational apathy toward religion.