Jinsha Temple Huayan Pagoda: Ksitigarbha Sutra

CHINA, Zhejiang, Wenzhou; Northern Song dynasty

This piece was excavated from Huayan Pagoda of Jinsha Temple in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. According to inscriptions on the back of the scroll, it contains part of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, which describes the teachings given by the Buddha to his mother. The sutra also tells of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s vow to assist all sentient beings in their quest for enlightenment. It is regarded as an important Buddhist scripture, and is often recited to accumulate blessings for the deceased.
This regular script manuscript is stylistically reminiscent of Tang dynasty (618–907) calligrapher Yan Zhenqing’s works. The characters are wide and have well-defined strokes. As a Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) calligraphic work, there are hints of running script in the text. The characters are canted to the left while strokes thicken towards the right, which creates a balanced form despite the inclination, and is a unique feature of the scroll.