I would like to thank Akio Tanabe, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, who offered me the chance to work with him at his former institution, the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies (ASAFAS), Kyoto University. Although he specialized in anthropology. his supervision was indispensable for my PhD application to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, as well as the completion of my dissertation and subsequent acquisition of my Master's degree. Yasushi Tonaga, a professor at Kyoto University, also supported my research as a second supervisor at ASAFAS and wrote a reference for my transfer to SOAS.

My huge thanks to Crispin Branfoot, reader in the SOAS Department of the History of Art and Archaeology, who accepted my speculative PhD proposal. Under his supervision, I formed the original idea for my research, gained perspective and developed my methodology, which to some extent relied on the rich human, documentary and visual resources in London. I will remain forever grateful to him. 1 would also like to express my appreciation for my committee members, Charles Gore and Gurharpal Singh. Gurharpal Singh provided enormous help in understanding Sikhism and the history of Punjab, about which I never received professional mentorship in Japan.

take this opportunity to thank B.N. Goswamy, E. S. Aijazuddin and Nadhra Khan, distinguished scholars who helped my fieldwork in India and Pakistan. My gratitude goes to Seema Gera (curator, Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh), Ujaa Usmani (assistant curator, Lahore Museum) and Fakir Saifuddin (owner and curator, Fakir Khana Museum in Lahore). I would also like to express my appreciation for the financial support I received from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Japan Student Services Organization, as well as the Saraswati Dalmia Scholarship at SOAS. My sincere thanks go to the Japanese Association for South Asian Studies, namely JASAS Grant for Publication Programme, and Manohar Publishers & Distributors, which helped me publish this book.

In addition to the above, I want to express my thanks to my parents, who have supported my life as a student and researcher in both Japan and the UK for a long time. Last but not the least, I am grateful to my wife, Patoomporn Maneesangpratip, who always gives me her dedicated support.

Sikhism is a relatively new religion in the world. It was founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in the Punjab region at the end of the fifteenth century. With globalization and subsequent migration, the total population of Sikhs has reached 27 million worldwide. This accounts for 0.39 per cent of the world's population. Of these, 76 per cent of all Sikhs live in the Punjab province, Republic of India, particularly in three major areas: Majha, Doba and Malwa. As a result, two-thirds of Punjab's population comprises Sikhs. The Sikh population marks 13.11 per cent in the state capital, Chandigarh, according to the 2011 Sikh Religion Census. Moreover, significant communities of Sikhs exist in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, as well as some former British colonies and English-speaking countries. The 2011 National Household Survey of Canada reports that Sikhs comprise 1.4 per cent of the Canadian population.

In recent times, single portraits representing Guru Nanak (1469- 1539) are very popular among Sikhs and are frequently hung on the walls of their temples, stores and houses. Portraits of Guru Nanak are often displayed next to those of Guru Gobind Singh, who is the second most respected great reformer after Guru Nanak. Interestingly, while investigating portraits of Sikhs in the Punjab State of India in 2010, I learned from the staff of a portrait shop at Hall Bazaar in Amritsar, that many Sikhs actually prefer Guru Nanak over all other portrait subjects. I support his observations on the basis of the market research I performed as part of my fieldwork.

The photo (Figure 1.1) below is from the Guru Nanak Darbar (court) in Rajpura, Panjab, India, where portraits of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh are hung on the wall behind the Adi Granth, the Sikh sacred text. Here, I deliberately selected a Sikh temple (gurdwara) with portraits of the Gurus. If the temple has portraits of the Gurus, this display arrangement is standard in most places. However, many temples have no portraits of the Gurus indoors.