伝九条兼実書　 『法華経』　の内|Segment of the Lotus Sutra (Hoke-kyō)

Kujō Kanezane

late 12th century · Handscroll section mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on colored paper decorated with cut gold (kirikane), sprinkled gold (sunago), and silver leaf · Asian Art

In Buddhism, transcribing and preserving sacred teachings results in the accrual of religious merit. This hanging scroll preserves a fragment of a sumptuously decorated multivolume transcription of the Lotus Sutra. Brushed in ink on paper adorned with gold and silver, the five lines are from the middle of Chapter 19, which describes how the six senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and mind) can be purified by reading, reciting, copying, studying, and upholding the teachings of the sutra. The passage lists a series of smells (香) discernible by believers, including fragrant flowers and trees as well as the odors of different animals and people.

Artist

Kujō Kanezane

Date

late 12th century

Medium

Handscroll section mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on colored paper decorated with cut gold (kirikane), sprinkled gold (sunago), and silver leaf

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1990