Bonji
Characters that give form to the voice of the universe.
Ancient sounds and prayers,
given a presence before us.
To sense the invisible.
To awaken the eternal.
Bonji, mandalas, life photography, sound and light.
Experiential art by Masahiko Hashimoto & Sayaka Hashimoto of Feel&Sense.
As AI takes on an ever greater role in knowledge and expression,
what will help us feel certain
of our own existence?
“Who am I?
What gives my life value
and meaning?”
In a world filled with information and comparison,
our sense of self-worth can falter.
We may lose sight of our own value.
These are the uncertainties we seek to meet.
As we explore these questions,
we believe in a foundation of self-acceptance:
embracing ourselves as we are
and recognizing our inherent worth.
To feel our own life through the body,
and deepen our connection with ourselves—
a source of strength for the years ahead.
The wisdom of Kūkai, a master of thought.
To see ourselves and the universe
as one continuous web of life.
Could this way of seeing help us
embrace our own existence more deeply?
ART to SATORI brings Kūkai’s wisdom into conversation with modern science
through bonji calligraphy, mandalas, and life photography.
Characters that give form to the voice of the universe.
Ancient sounds and prayers,
given a presence before us.
A map shaped by compassion.
A vision of a world in which all life
is connected and resonates together.
The beginnings of life, captured by science.
An encounter with the primordial memory
that flows through each of us.
Prayer held in bonji. The universe expressed in a mandala. The beginnings of life captured by science. By looking, listening, and being present in a space, we come to feel our own life more deeply.
You were born into this world, and you are here now. Through sound, light, and space, we invite you to feel the irreplaceable nature of that existence. ART to SATORI offers experiences intended to reconnect us with the source of life, nurture self-acceptance, and open a space to reflect on our own value and meaning.
We hope that a deeper acceptance of ourselves can nurture our relationships with others and the world, becoming a source of strength for the future.
For well-being in the years ahead, we continue to develop and share this experience through art.
Explore bonji, mandalas, and life ↗Feeling one’s own life. Touching a deep connection within.
For some visitors, this experience brought tears.
Presented as a special program for the 1,250th anniversary of Kōbō Daishi Kūkai’s birth:
a screening of LIFE® Inochi and the Inochi Exhibition.
Discover the experience at Koyasan through this film of the event.
To the beginning of existence.
A mandala of life, where bonji and life photography resonate.
Explore the artwork ↗The light of life, gently transforming the future.
Explore the artwork ↗Characters holding sound. Light holding life.
Artworks: Feel&Sense (Masahiko Hashimoto & Sayaka Hashimoto)
Life photography: Lennart Nilsson
A series in which bonji, life photography, Buddhist figures, and words resonate together.
Enter the world of “To the Beginning of Existence” through film.
At the Wakayama Pavilion, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
Discover a space where artworks and moving images resonate.
Presented by the ART to SATORI Executive Committee, established by Koyasan, Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Feel&Sense.
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan / Wakayama Pavilion
ART to SATORI exhibition film

Light shifts. Air moves. Sound resonates.
Together with the atmosphere of a place,
an artwork becomes an unrepeatable experience.
Talks and dialogue. Art exhibitions. Sound, meditation, and film.
We shape an experience around your purpose and place.
For temples, shrines, cultural venues, schools, universities, businesses, and communities.
Let us create a time to connect with life together.
The Okuden Guest Rooms of Kongōbu-ji, in World Heritage Koyasan, are normally closed to the public.
For the 1,250th anniversary of Kōbō Daishi Kūkai’s birth,
their doors opened to welcome the Inochi Exhibition.
Here began a story in which prayer and the art of life resonate together.

Hosted by Kongōbu-ji and co-organized by Feel&Sense, the special LIFE Inochi screening and Inochi Exhibition took place in the Okuden, which opened specially during the anniversary celebrations.
Surrounded by the Banryūtei rock garden, film, music, and life photography resonated through the space. It was our first exploration of bringing Kūkai’s prayer and contemporary art together to offer a bodily experience of the source of life.
Read the 2023 event archive ↗
HOW WONDERFUL LIFE IS, created to mark the 1,250th anniversary of Kōbō Daishi Kūkai’s birth, was dedicated to Kongōbu-ji. The ceremony followed a special LIFE Inochi screening attended by approximately 700 people.
The work is held in the collection of Kongōbu-ji and remains on display in its Shin-Betsuden.


In the 20th anniversary year of Koyasan’s World Heritage inscription, selected works from the previous year’s Okuden exhibition were shown in the Betsuden. The meeting of art and a place of prayer continued into a second year.
Official Kongōbu-ji announcement ↗Following special exhibitions in the Betsuden of Kongōbu-ji and at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the work reached the Oku-shoin of Ninna-ji in 2026. We continue to create encounters in which place, art, and people resonate.
Explore later exhibitions ↓Sources: LIFE Inochi Exhibition archive・Koyasan 2023 special event page・Official Kongōbu-ji announcement
Verified: October 26, 2026. The Shin-Betsuden photographs are archival; the work remains on display.
From sacred places alive with a thousand years of prayer,
to places of encounter with the world.
Kyoto Prefectural Chūtan Cultural Hall / Ayabe, Kyoto
With the attendance of His Eminence Shindō Hasebe, the 415th chief abbot. ART to SATORI works are scheduled to be exhibited alongside a talk and film screening by Masahiko Hashimoto, with a special appearance by Sayaka Hashimoto.
View the upcoming program ↗
KYOTO, JAPANAt Ninna-ji, the venue for Kyoto World Culture Forum 2026, Dainichi Nyorai of the Womb Realm was specially exhibited in the normally private Oku-shoin.
Explore the Ninna-ji exhibition ↗
An artist duo creating experiential art around inochi—life itself—through sound, film, poetry, and spatial design.
We hope to offer profound experiences that bring us close to the invisible source of existence.
With that wish at the heart of our practice, we continue to create as an act of prayer.
For program hosting, invitations, exhibitions, and artwork inquiries
Let’s create resonance.↗support@feelandsense.org