Hasedera Temple: Frontispiece of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter on Peaceful Practices

JAPAN, Nara, Sakurai; Kamakura period

This frontispiece is part of the Hasedera Sutras, a 34-fascicle collection dating from the 13th century and consisting of the 3-fascicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, 28-fascicle Lotus Sutra, and 1 fascicle each of the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra, Amitabha Sutra, and the Heart Sutra. It was listed as a National Treasure in 1956.
The “Chapter on Peaceful Practices” is from the Lotus Sutra. The picture shows three figures approaching on clouds from the top. The central figure is Manjusri Bodhisattva, riding a lion and flanked by King Udayana and Sudhana. Groups of people with their palms joined in reverence and joyful children await their approach. The gold background is decorated with rich colors such as ultramarine blue, copper green, gold, silver, and red. The calligraphy style and the decorative paper used for the bindings make it one of the finest examples of decorative sutras from that time.