Divine Creatures from Kitora Tumulus on public display

Ancient beauty is on display at a museum in western Japan's Nara Prefecture. Three murals from the Kitora burial mound are being exhibited together for the first time.

Visitors can view the "Suzaku" Vermilion Bird, the "Genbu" Black Tortoise, and the "Seiryu" Azure Dragon at a preservation center of the Kitora Tumulus Mural Experiential Museum Shijin-no-yakata in Asuka Village.

The burial mound is thought to date back to the late 7th or early 8th century during the Asuka period. The once brightly colored paintings of the divine creatures decorated the southern, northern and eastern walls of a stone chamber. The murals are designated as national treasures.

The special exhibition is being held to mark the 10th anniversary of the preservation center. It comes after the registration of the ancient capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara as a World Cultural Heritage site in July.

Visitors were seen marveling at the exquisite beauty of the murals -- the bird with its dynamic wings, the tortoise entwined by a snake, and the dragon with a red tongue and front legs.

One visitor said that it was easy to appreciate the characteristics and the conditions of the three murals because they were all together. She also said that the red pigments inspired her to try to imagine how the paintings might have looked in ancient times.

The exhibition lasts through October 18. Although application quotas are already full, admission could still be possible if there are cancellations.