Sensoji Temple: Lotus Sutra

JAPAN, Tokyo; Heian period

The Lotus Sutra reconciles the three different paths towards Buddhahood, namely through the Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas, and refers to all as one under Mahayana Buddhist teachings. The sutra emphasizes that every sentient being has the potential to attain Buddhahood. This manuscript of the Lotus Sutra was listed as a National Treasure in 1951.
Written with pristine order, a sign of utmost reverence, the majority of the characters in this piece are wide in shape with horizontal strokes. The strokes are notably leveled, which exudes a sense of elegance and fineness. The work is highly embellished with the paper overlaid in gold leaf. Landscape images in gold ink illustrate the frontispiece, and gold lines are ruled to form vertical guides for the text. These features mark the elaborately ornamental aspects of decorative sutra manuscripts from the Heian period (794–1185), of which this piece is an exemplar.