Every March (the second month of the lunar calendar), the ritual commonly known as Omizutori (also known as Shunie), involving large taimatsu torches made of pine branches, is held at the Nigatsu-dō (the hall of the second month) at Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara. This tray, known as Nigatsudō rengyōshū bon ( tray for the secluded monks of the Nigatsu-dō Hall), was used once a day for meals in the dining hall below the Nigatsu-dō by the rengyōshū monks during this ritual. Its popular name, Hinomaru bon or “Rising Sun Tray,” comes from the association of its color and shape with the sun.
  Early negoro trays from the Kamakura period were eventually dispersed in tumultuous times such as during the anti-Buddhist movement in the early Meiji period (1868–1912). Some even went into private hands. Today, Tōdai-ji Temple has eleven trays, while seven are in the collections of private individuals and museums, suggesting that they were coveted works of art among connoisseurs. This exhibition will feature five of the seven negoro trays that have survived in private collections.