Four pieces.
Height 13.6 cm. Length of spire 8.3 cm. Diameter at base
10.6 cm. Inside of each pagoda is deposited one Darani
sutra.
1. Muku Joko-kyo Konbon Darani. 5.5 cm by 56.5 cm.
2. Muku Jokyo-kyo Sorin Darani. 5.6 cm by 41 cm.
3. Muku Joko-kyo Jishin-in Darani. 5.7 cm by 44.6 cm.
4. Muku Joko-kyo Rokuda Darani (by Photograph). 53
cm by 31 cm.
At the bottom of the pagodas are seen the following
cryptic inscriptions:
1.云二 五四
右吉伊
2.云二 十二 十八
右□万
3.右三年六月十二日伊
In the book "Shoku-Nihongi" (續日本紀) and other old
books it is stated that in A.D. 764 the Empress, Shotoku
Tenno, augustly conceiving of a great prayer to offer, regis
tered the extraordinary vow to make one million small three
roofed pagodas, each being four and a half inches in height
and three and a half inches at the bottom, and containing
within the hollow of each pagoda one or another of the four
Daranis (Konbon, Jishin, Sorin, Rokudo), and have them
distributed among the ten great temples and that this colssus
work had been completed in 770. Of these numerous pagodas
a certain number are still preserved in the Horyu-ji temple
near Nara, one of the ten great monasteries referred to, while
the remainder have been either lost or destroyed. The four
pagodas and three Darani scrolls mentioned in this Catalogue
are the same as these rare and ancient specimens, and the
Darani constitute probably the oldest specimens of printed
matter with authenticated dates that may be found anywhere
in the world. Of the four scrolls the Rokudo Darani is the
most precious because it is very rarely found, and we regret
we could not secure the original.
A little note on the inscriptions quoted is necessary. The
character 云 is an abbreviation of 雲, being the last character
of the four 神護景雲, forming the year-name "Jingo-Keiun."
Therefore the wording 云二五四 stands for "2nd year of
Jingo-Keiun, 5th month 4th day," or "May 4, 768 A.D."
Similarly,云二十二十八 stands for "December 18, 768 A.D."
and "3rd year 6, 12" is interpretable as "June 12, 769." The
吉伊,伊 and □万 are the abbreviations of names of persons,
probably the makers. The character 右(right) is evidently
in contrast to the character 左(left), both of which defy
analysis. Inscriptions by hand on the bottom of the pagoda
are of frequent occurrence.
(B a 2)SHIBUBZIU-KAI-HON-SO
Vol. One (of two volume book). One scroll.
27.5 cm by 981.6 cm, including the margin at the beginning.
This was printed in the beginning of Kamakura period
(early 12th century) and bears the "Okoto" marks of the
Kita-in school, and at the back of the scroll may be seen
here and there notes on pronouncing. It is altogether a very
valuable specimen of "reading literature."
(B a 3)DAI HANNYA HARAMITTA KYO
Ten folded volumes with one receptacle for same.
Vol. 17........25.8cm by 899.5cm.
Vol. 74........26 cm by 948 cm.
Vol. 103.......26 cm by 862.5 cm.
Vol. 109.......26 cm by 863 cm.
Vol. 199.......26 cm by 922 cm.
Vol. 275.......26 cm by 879.5 cm.
Vol. 286.......26 cm by 837.5 cm.
Vol. 303.......26 cm by 996.5 cm.
Vol. 329.......26 cm by 930.5 cm.
Vol. 561.......26 cm by 918 cm.
These were originally in the form of scrolls but have
since been re-dressed in folder shape. The postscript attached
to them makes it plain that they were part of the 600 rolls
embodying some passages of the Dai Hannya sutra which a
certain woman of the Fujiwara family presented to the
Komatsu-dera temple, Mino province, in 1374. The following
points may be noted with interest.
The six characters written by hand just below title
in Vol. 561 meaning "The great-petition master, Taira Mitsu
yasu," show us who was the presenter of the scrolls. The
calligraphic style indicates that it was a product of the Kamakura period.
Vol. 17 which bears the postscript "Sadataka, child of
Buddha," shows a peculiar style of printing, different from
that in which the nine other scrolls are printed.
(B a 4)DAI HANNYA HARAMITTA KYO
Vol. 351. One folded volume.
26.2 cm by 907 cm.
At the end of the sutra is seen a seal stamped in black
bearing the four characters, meaning "Shami Shozen," the
name of a priest. ("Shami" means "priest.")
(B a 5)DAI HANNYA HARAMITTA KYO
Vol. 517. One folded volume.
26.2 cm by 925 cm.
At the end of the sutra is seen the six characters in
print, meaning "Chikuzen Gon-no-kami Tametsugu," the Vi
Governor of Chikuzen province.
(B a 6)DAI HANNYA HARAMITTA KYO
Vol. 453. One folded volume.
27.7 cm by 822 cm.
From the postscript it is plain that this printed sutra
was a product of the fifth year of O-ei (1398).
(B a 7)JIZO HONGAN-KYO
A fragment. One folded volume.
At the back of this sutra is seen an inscription to the
effect that this has been copied in commemoration of the
fulfilment of a long-cherished desire by one Raiyo on September 12, 25th year of 0-ei.
(B a 8)MYO-HO-RENGE-KYO
In diminutive characters. Two scrolls.
First book........10.8 cm by 1416 cm.
Second book.......10.8 cm by 1079 cm.
In these two small scrolls are compressed the Hoke-kyo
made up of six volumes. The reason for preparing such a
small edition probably was that it was convenient for portable
purposes or intended for a mascot to be carried on person by
devout followers of the Hoke, or Nichiren sect.
In the margin before the text is written the brief inscription "Kaigen-shu Nichige." The kaigen-shu, literally, "eyeopening-master," probably means that the author "has put
his soul in his work," and Nichige is the name of a priestthe 29th abbot of the Honkoku-ji temple, Kyoto, who died in
1775.
(B a 9)NINNO HANNYA HARAMITTA KYO
Two folded volumes.
First book.
Second book.
This sutra was printed in the 11th year of Tempo (1840)
at the behest of Matsu-ura, the lord of Hirado, Hizen province,
for distribution among the temples and shrines within his
fief.
At the end of the text is an inscription in the following
sense. "These two books have been reverentially copied, and
for the sake of the country whose safety is prayerfully
desired, presented to the temples and shrines through the
Fief. Minamoto Ason Matsu-ura, Lord of the Castle of
Hirado, Hizen. The autumn, in the eighth month, in the
eleventh year of Tempo."
(B a 10)GOZANBAN SOBO SHOZOKUDEN
(Five-Monastery-Edition: Two-volume Lives of Reverend
Personages). Vol. 1 and Vol. 11. One book.
This is a Japanese reprint of the Chinese printed book
containing the biographies of celebrated monks of the Sun
dynasty, as selected by Shoshu. It is an example of the
so-called "Gozanban," "five-monastery-editions."
The literature which was in greatest vogue among the
Japanese Zen priests of Kamakura and Muromachi period
was the production of the monks and scholars of the five
Rinzai monasteries. Hence the name "five-monastery-litera
ture." These same priests and monks had been responsibly
for the reproduction of enormous number of classical works
of the Sung and Yuan periods. These reproductions and
commonly styled "Gozanban," or "five-monastery editions."
(B a 11)TAIKEN HOSHI GIKI (MONK TAIKEN's COMMENTARY)
One folded volume.
This is a book of Buddhist Canons, reproduced from
Korean original, entitled "Bosatsu Kaihon Soyo," selected by
a Korean priest known as Taiken Hoshi. A printed postscript
says that it was printed at Senshoritasu-ji, Higashiyama
November, 1628.
(B a 12)KANKEI-ROKU (KANKEI'S MEMOIRS)
One book.
The Kankeiroku is the only book of reminiscences left
by Kankei, a pupil of Mujun Shihan, the celebrated monk of
the Sung period, and it is a typical specimen of a book printed
in movable wooden type in 1711. Mujun (Bukkan Zenshi)
who had made great contributions to the development of Zen
Buddhism in Japan, was a teacher of Benyen (the founder of
Tofuku-ji, Kyoto) who had visited China in 1235. Mujun
and Kankei had become acquainted at that time.
