Sutra Box

JAPAN; Heian period

This 10th century sutra box was listed as a National Treasure in 1953. The rectangular wooden box is 32.7 cm long, 23.3 cm wide, and 16.4 cm high. It is lacquered in black and the decoration consists of gold and silver maki-e. Illustrations of selected stories from the Buddha’s past lives based on the Lotus Sutra cover the box. The lid interprets the Western Pure Land with phoenixes dancing in the air, peacocks, musical instruments, and flower petals. The sides of the lid have depictions of the “Chapter on Devadatta.”
The sides of the box have lively illustrations of the “Chapter on Skillful Means,” which tells the story of a child making a pagoda with sand; the “Chapter on Sadaparibhuta Bodhisattva,” who endured various trials of verbal and physical abuse; the “Universal Gateway Chapter;” and the “Chapter on the Parable of Medicinal Herbs.”