Daihannya-haramitta-kyō, kan gohyaku-yonjū (Sutra of Great Wisdom Chapter 540)
Agent
Role
Translator
Original form
Translator: Xuanzang
Description
The handscroll of Daihannya-haramitta-kyō, the Sutra of Great
Wisdom, chapter five hundred and forty, consists of a simple sheet
of paper without mounting. The complete version of the sutra
encompasses six-hundred chapters. It was introduced to China from
India by the monk, scholar and translator Xuanzang, who translated
the sutra into Chinese in the 7th century before it was imported
into Japan. The sutra is written in black ink on high-quality
paper, very likely kōzo-shi, which is made using the fibre of
Broussonetia papyrifera or paper mulberry tree, especially
treasured and used for important documents during the early periods
of Japanese history such as the Nara and Heian periods. There is a
circular red seal placed over the top of the first four lines of
the text, stating “Yakushi-ji-in” (seal of the temple
Yakushi-ji). The sutra was written in Japan within the context of
the religious rites of reproducing holy scripture to benefit the
karma.
Rights
e-codices - Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
