Part of the Chikubushima Sutra written on paper decorated with drawings of plants and animals
The term "National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897,[1][2] although the definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term. The written materials in the list adhere to the current definition, and have been designated National Treasures according to the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties that came into effect on June 9, 1951. The items are selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology based on their "especially high historical or artistic value".[3][4] The list presents 107 entries from the Western Wei dynasty to the Meiji period with most dating to the period of Classical Japan and Mid-Imperial China from the 7th to 14th century. The total number of items is higher, however, since groups of related objects have been joined as single entries.
The list contains various types of written materials such as sutra copies, Buddhist commentaries and teachings, poetry and letters. Some of the designated objects originated in China, and were imported at a time when writing was being introduced to Japan. The items in this list were predominantly made with a writing brush on manuscript scrolls, which was the preferred medium until the advent of commercial printing and publishing in the 17th century.[5] In many cases the manuscripts are noted examples of calligraphy. They are housed in temples, museums, libraries or archives, shrines, universities and in private collections.[4] The writings in this list represent about half of the 235 National Treasures in the category "writings". They are complemented by 71 Japanese and 57 Chinese book National Treasures of the List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Japanese books) and the List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Chinese books).[4]
Statistics
Map showing the location of non-book writings National Treasures in Japan
The table's columns (except for Remarks and Image) are sortable pressing the arrows symbols. The following gives an overview of what is included in the table and how the sorting works.
Name: the name as registered in the Database of National Cultural Properties[4]
Authors: name of the author(s)
Remarks: information about the type of document and its content
Date: period and year; The column entries sort by year. If only a period is known, they sort by the start year of that period.
Format: principal type, technique and dimensions; The column entries sort by the main type: scroll (includes handscrolls and letters), book (includes albums, ordinary bound books and books bound by fukuro-toji)[nb 2] and other (includes hanging scrolls)
Present location: "temple/museum/shrine-name town-name prefecture-name"; The column entries sort as "prefecture-name town-name".
Image: picture of the manuscript or of a characteristic document in a group of manuscripts
Treasures
Buddhist writings
Sutras
The concept of writing came to Japan from the Korean kingdom of Baekje in the form of classical Chinese books and sutras, likely written on paper and in the form of manuscript rolls (kansubon).[6][7][8][9] This probably happened at the beginning of the 5th century (around 400), and certainly in conjunction with the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century.[7][10] The increasing popularity of Buddhism, strongly promoted by Prince Shōtoku (574–622), in the late-6th century and early-7th century was one of the factors[nb 3] leading to a rise in the importance of writing.[11] Buddhism required the study of sutras in Chinese. To satisfy the growing demand for them, imported Sui and Tang manuscripts were copied, first by Korean and Chinese immigrants, and later in the mid-7th century by Japanese scribes.[12][13] The Sangyō Gisho ("Annotated Commentaries on the Three Sutras"), traditionally attributed to Prince Shōtoku, is the oldest extant Japanese text of any length.[14] By 673 the entire Buddhist canon had been systematically copied.[8][15] Not a single sutra survives from before the end of the 6th century.[16] The oldest extant complete sutra copied in Japan dates to 686 and has been designated a National Treasure.[15][17] During the 7th and 8th centuries, the copying of Buddhist texts, including sutras, dominated writing. Few Chinese secular or local Japanese works (which were rare) were copied.[17] The state founded a Sutra Copying Bureau (shakyōjo) before 727[nb 4] with highly specialized calligraphers, proofreaders and metal polishers to satisfy the large demand for Buddhist texts.[8][11][14][15][18] Sutra copying was not only for duplication but also to acquire religious merit;[15][19] thus nearly all Buddhist texts were hand-copied during the 8th century despite knowledge of printing.[14]
The peak of sutra copying occurred in the Nara period at which time the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Daihannya) sutra and the Lotus Sutra were the sutras most often copied.[17][20][21] Most of the sutras were written in black ink on paper dyed pale yellow.[nb 5][22] However, some were made with gold or silver ink on indigo, purple or other colored paper—particularly the ones that were produced in 741 when Emperor Shōmu decreed Konkōmyō Saishōō sutras written in gold letters be distributed among provincial temples.[8][22][23][24] Many sutra copies contain a colophon with the name of the sponsor—often somebody from the ruling class—and the reason of copying, usually related to the health or salvation of people or the state.[13][21]
After the shakyōjo closed at the end of the 8th century, the imperial family and leading aristocrats continued to sponsor sutra copying.[18] Because of an enhanced belief in the powers of the Lotus Sutra, more Heian period copies of this sutra exist than of all other sutras combined.[25] Starting in the early Heian period, styles became flowery and ornate with lavish decorations as sutras were not used only in recitation but for dedication and sacrifice.[22][26][27] Devotional sutra copying was more often undertaken by the initiator than in the Nara period.[8][25] New forms of decoration came in fashion by the early-11th century including placing each character in the outline of a stupa, on lotus pedestals or next to depictions of Boddhisattvas.[28][29] Sutras were increasingly furnished with frontispieces starting in the 11th century.[28] Calligraphy shifted from Chinese to Japanese style.[30] Sutra copying continued into the Kamakura and subsequent periods, but only rarely to comparable artistic effect.[29] With the import of printed Song editions in the Kamakura period, hand-copying of the complete scriptures died out and sutra copying was only practiced for its devotional aspect.[31][32] Fifty-one sutras or sets of sutras from the 6th century Western Wei to 14th century Nanboku-chō period have been designated National Treasures. Some of the oldest items in this list originated in China.[4]
Name
Authors
Remarks
Date
Format
Present location
Image
Segment of the Sutra of the Wise and Foolish (賢愚経残巻, Kengukyō zankan), Yamato edition[33]
Chapters 8 ("Vajra, the Daughter of King Prasenajit"), 9 ("Golden Wealth"), 10 ("Heavenly Flowers"), 11 ("Heavenly Jewels"), and the final lines of Chapter 48 ("Upagupta") of the Sutra of the Wise and Foolish, or Sutra of the Karma of the Wise and Foolish; total of 262 lines with eleven to fourteen characters per line; also known as Great Shōmu (大聖武, ōshōmu) after Emperor Shōmu; originally kept at Tōdai-ji in Yamato
28 lines per page; also known as Chikubushima Sutra (竹生島経) as the scroll is in possession of Hōgon-ji on Chikubu Island; paper decorated with gold and silver underdrawings of butterflies, birds, flowering plants, imaginary Buddhist flowers, and clouds; the introductory chapter of the same work, located at Hōgon-ji, has been designated as a National Treasure
Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra on deep blue paper (紺紙金字大宝積経, konshikinji taihō shakukyō) vol. 32, Goryeo Tripiṭaka with gilt letters (高麗国金字大蔵経, kōraikoku kinji daizōkyō)[39][40][41]
Choi Sung-sak
Earliest copied sutra of the Goryeo dynasty and only surviving volume of a set of complete Buddhist scriptures, offered by Queen Heonae and Kim Chi-yang. The cover is decorated with a hōsōge flower pattern and the frontispiece with three bodhisattvas scattering flower offerings, both in silver paint.
One handscroll, gilt letters on deep blue paper, 29.1cm ×881.2cm (11.5in ×346.9in)
Segment of the Sutra of the Incantation of the one thousand armed, one thousand eyed AvalokiteśvaraBodhisattva (千手千眼陀羅尼経残巻, senju sengen daranikyō zankan)[42]
Genbō (玄昉)
Only extant portion of one thousand copies of the Senju sengen daranikyō made by Genbō; mentioned in the Essential Records of Tōdai-ji (東大寺要録, tōdaiji yōroku); total of 109 lines; beginning of scroll is lost
Golden Light of the Most Victorious Kings Sutra (紫紙金字金光明最勝王経, shishikinji konkōmyō saishōōkyō)[43][44]
unknown (Sutra Copying Bureau)
One of the sutras enshrined in the state-sponsored "Temples for the Protection of the State by the Golden Light (of the) Four Heavenly Kings"; said to have been enshrined in Bingo Province
Konkōmyō Saishōō Sutra with gilt letters (紫紙金字金光明最勝王経, shishikinji konkōmyō saishōōkyō)
unknown (Sutra Copying Bureau)
One of the sutras enshrined in the state-sponsored "Temples for the Protection of the State by the Golden Light (of the) Four Heavenly Kings" founded by Emperor Shōmu
First couple of lines of each scroll transcribed by Taira no Kiyomori, following lines by Yorimori; therefore also called (両筆経, lit. Sutra written together)
Complete Buddhist scriptures in gold and silver letters (金銀字一切経, kinginji issaikyō) or Chūson-ji Sutras (中尊寺経, Chūson-ji kyō)[50]
unknown
Large-scale collection of sutras, Buddhist regulations and sutra explanations initiated by Fujiwara no Kiyohira; dedicated to Chūson-ji and later presented to Kongōbu-ji by Toyotomi Hidetsugu; decorated with various pictures in gold and silver paint; a set of 15 similar scrolls that were part of the same collection remained at Chūson-ji and are a National Treasure
Complete Buddhist scriptures on deep blue paper with gilt letters (紺紙金字一切経, konshikonji issaikyō) or Chūson-ji Sutras (中尊寺経, Chūson-ji kyō)[51]
unknown
Large-scale collection of sutras, Buddhist regulations and sutra explanations initiated by Fujiwara no Kiyohira; dedicated to Chūson-ji; each scroll's end page is decorated with a drawing in gold paint; 15 scrolls with alternating gold and silver letters are part of a set of up to 5,300 scrolls most of which are now in the possession of Kongōbu-ji and a National Treasure
Lotus pedestal character Lotus Sutra (一字蓮台法華経, ichijirendai hokekyō) or The Encouragements of Bodhisattva Fugen (普賢勧発品, Fugen kanbotsubon)
unknown
Below each character a lotus flower is drawn thereby equating each character with the Bodhisattva; endpapers decorated with an inside scene of a Buddhist memorial service in blown away roof technique (吹抜屋台, fukinuki yatai)
Originally offered to Anrakuji-in on occasion of Emperor Toba entering priesthood, later transferred to Kunōji. Part of 30 scrolls (28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra plus introduction and postscript).
Part of an eight scroll set, scroll 1 has been lost and scroll 8 is in private hand and a National Treasure; Unkei was supported by a female sponsor named Akomaro (阿古丸)
Part of an eight scroll set, scroll 1 has been lost and scrolls 2 to 7 are located at Shinshōgokuraku-ji and a National Treasure; includes a postscript explaining the circumstances of the sutra transcription; Unkei was supported by a female sponsor named Akomaro (阿古丸)
Also called Hase-dera Sutras (長谷寺経, Hase-dera kyō); endpapers decorated with richly colored paintings on gold ground using ultramarine, verdigris, gold and silver paint and scarlet red
Sutra of the Bodhisattva's Dwelling in the Womb (菩薩処胎経, bosatsu shotaikyō)[58]
unknown
Sutra on Buddha entering nirvana; first scroll is a transcription from the late Heian period, fifth scroll a transcription from the Nara period; remaining three scrolls contain a postscriptum from 550
Commentary on the Awakening of Faith (大乗起信論, daijō kishinron); one of the principal books of Shingon Buddhism; lower part of opening phrase of volume one features Chinese characters of Empress Wu
28 lines per page; paper decorated with gold and silver underdrawings of butterflies, birds, flowering plants, imaginary Buddhist flowers, and clouds; the Expedient Means chapter of the same work, located at the Tokyo National Museum, has been designated as National Treasure
Two handscrolls, one each, ink on paper dyed in different shades of brown, muryōgikyō: 25.2cm ×927.9cm (9.9in ×365.3in), kanfugenkyō: 25.4cm ×845.8cm (10.0in ×333.0in)
Nara period Buddhism was dominated by six state-controlled sects. They were introduced from the mainland and centred around the ancient capitals in Asuka and Nara. These schools were generally academic in nature, closely connected with the court and represented a doctrine that was far removed from the daily life of the people.[62][63] In 804, two Japanese monksKūkai and Saichō travelled to China; on their return they established Tendai and Shingon Buddhism respectively. Unlike their predecessors both esoteric schools took into account the needs of the common people. Though their origins lay in China, with time they acquired local Japanese traits.[63][64] Generally the 9th century was a time when Chinese learning thrived in Japan. Authors produced a wide variety of works in Chinese language, including commentaries and treatises on a variety of subjects.[65]
A number of new sects appeared in Japan in the 12th and 13th centuries as a natural reaction to the difficult teachings of older schools and partially motivated by the notion of mappō.[nb 7][66] Growing out of an Amida cult, the Jōdo ShinshūPure Land school was founded in 1224 by Shinran, and attracted a following from all classes and occupations.[67][68] Three years later, Dōgen introduced the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism emphasizing meditation and dharma practice.[69] The first truly Japanese school of Buddhism goes back to Nichiren's proclamation of his teachings in 1253. Nichiren Buddhism was exceptional for being militant and intolerant.[66] The central focus of Nichiren's teaching was the veneration of the Lotus Sutra.[66][69][70]
Fourteen treatises and commentaries of famous Japanese monks dating from the early Heian to the Kamakura period have been designated as National Treasures. These include three commentaries by Kūkai on two of the main mantras (Dainichikyō and Kongōhannyakyō) of Shingon Buddhism, works by Shinran discussing Pure Land Buddhism, mappō and Amida, a manual on zazen "seated meditation" by Dōgen and two works by Nichiren related to his teachings. In addition two large scale collection of documents from the Nara to the Meiji period are listed here as National Treasures.[4]
Sutras brought back from his 804 visit to Hui-kuo at China by Kūkai; box presented to Tō-ji by Emperor Daigo; originally there were 38 books, 8 of which have been lost
Segment of a commentary explaining the title of the Diamond Sutra. The full commentary was originally located in Sanbō-in before being cut in segments. Considered to be a draft
Explanation of the object of devotion in Nichiren's teaching and description of the practice for attaining Buddhahood; addressed to Toki Jonin, one of Nichiren's followers
Treatise on securing the peace of the land through the establishment of the correct teaching (立正安国論, Risshō Ankoku Ron) or "On establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land"[84][85][86]
In this writing Nichiren aims to clarify the cause of a large number of natural disasters such as famines, floods, landslides and earthquakes that troubled Japan and Kamakura around the 1250s. His conclusion is that people should embrace the correct teaching. Document submitted to Hōjō Tokiyori
Notes on Guidance Toward Birth in the West (西方指南抄, saihō shinanshō) or "A Teaching to the Western Land" or "Collections Showing the Way to the West"[87][88]
Series of selections and commentaries on Buddhist sutras; intermediate draft and only extant manuscript of the Kyōgyōshinshō with earlier versions going back to 1224
Three collections of hymns praising the virtue of the bodhisattva and high priest: Jōdo Wasan (Hymns of the Pure Land), Kōso Wasan (Hymns of the Pure Land Masters) and the Shōzōmatsu Wasan (Hymns of the Dharma‐Ages)[92]
Bokuseki is a type of Japanese calligraphy practiced by Zen monks or lay practitioners of Zen meditation.[95][96] Characterised by freely written bold characters, the style often ignores criteria and classical standards for calligraphy.[97][98] The brush is moved continuously across the paper creating richly variated lines.[99] Unlike other calligraphy, bokuseki is considered "religious art"—a manifestation of the artist's understanding of the Dharma.[100] In this sense, the literal meaning of the word "bokuseki", translated as "ink trace", indicates the piece is considered to be a trace of the enlightened mind.[98][101]
The bokuseki style developed from Song Dynasty calligraphy. It was brought from China to Japan, together with Zen Buddhism, starting with Eisai in 1191.[99] Late-12th century works imported from China were highly regarded in Japan; subsequently Japanese priests began producing their own bokuseki in the 13th and 14th centuries.[98] Later bokuseki became part of the zen practice and served as meditation help.[96] They were often mounted on hanging scrolls, and displayed in temples and tea rooms.[95][98][100] The master of the Japanese tea ceremonySen no Rikyū considered them crucial to the tea ceremony in the sense that they put the participants in the right frame-of-mind.[98] Bokuseki gained in importance through the chanoyu in the Muromachi and Momoyama periods.[99]Daitō Kokushi and Musō Soseki, both from the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, were the most famous bokuseki masters of the time.[99]
The bokuseki style is present in a variety of Zen genres such as Buddhist sermons or Dharma talks (hōgo), certificates of enlightenment (inkajō), death verses (yuige), gatha verses (geju), poetry[nb 8] (shi), letters, names and titles given to a monk by his master (jigo), exhortory sermons (shidōgo), gakuji,[nb 9] inscriptions on Zen paintings (san) and Zen circles.[95][96][102] There are 23 bokuseki National Treasures of various types including inkajō, hōgo, letters and yuige. They date from the 12th to 14th centuries and have been mounted on hanging scrolls.[4]
Name
Authors
Remarks
Date
Format
Present location
Image
Certificate of Buddhist Spiritual Achievement (印可状, inkajō)[103]
First half of an enlightenment certificate given to Yuanwu's disciple Huqiu Shaolong in recognition of his spiritual achievement. Oldest extant document written by a Chan master. Also known as Floating Yuanwu (流れ圜悟, Nagare Engo)
Highly praised by masters of the tea ceremony; a special place called Mittan toko had been designed for this scroll in the tea room inside the shoin at Ryōkō-in
Verse of Praise (与長楽寺一翁偈語, ｃｈōrakuji ichiō niatauru no gego)[111]
Mugaku Sogen (無学祖元)
Presented to his fellow student, Ichiō Ingō (一翁院豪), by Mugaku Sogen, praising his enlightenment; written in the same year in which Mugaku Sogen moved to Japan following the Mongol invasion of China
Buddhist sermon and regulations (法語規則, hōgo kisoku)[115]
Daikaku Zenji (大覚禅師) (Rankei Dōryū/Lanxi Daolong)
The sermon, directed to the monks inside the temple, warns of procrastination and calls for devotion to studying. The regulations provide strict rules for the daily life of ascetic monks, from the time of washing to how to roll up a bamboo screen
Keiringe is a poem about nature's great harmony when Shūhō Myōchō looked at a copse in late fall; Nangakuge is a poem about the grandeur of Mount Heng and the admiration for the Chinese emperor
Kaishi, or futokorogami, were sheets of paper carried by high-ranking people folded in their kimonos at the breast.[118][119] They were used for writing letters, or waka; similar sheets were employed during the tea ceremony.[118][119] Papers came in a variety of sizes and colours, depending on the rank and sex of those using them.[119] At court men wrote on white paper, while women wrote only on red kaishi paper.[118] Eventually the paper format was standardized with sizes ranging from about 28cm ×36cm (11in ×14in) to 36cm ×56cm (14in ×22in).[119] The folding style, labelling, and other stylistic features, differed from school to school.[119] Four items from the Heian and Kamakura periods have been designated as National Treasures in the kaishi category. They are single sheets or sets of sheets mounted on hanging scrolls or bound in an album and contain poetry by Japanese rulers and famous poets.[4]
Collection of 28 poems on each chapter of the Lotus Sutra by as many famous poets and calligraphers of the late Heian period. Saigyō's poem was separated and mounted on a hanging scroll. A painting of a maple tree in autumn by Tosa Mitsuoki was added later and the poems were collected in an album around the same time
Collections of exemplary calligraphy, or tekagami (lit. "mirror of the hands"), were created by cutting pages and sections of old books and scrolls of sutras, poems and letters, which were arranged in albums in a chronological order or according to social status.[126][127][128] By the early-16th century, calligraphic connoisseurs of the Kohitsu house had practiced activities aimed at preserving ancient calligraphic works.[129]Tekagami production appears to have started in the Momoyama period.[128] These albums served as model books for calligraphy practice, the emulation of old styles, and as reference works for authentication in the growing antique market.[130] Today, the selection of calligraphers, and the type of calligraphies in a tekagami, show the changing tastes in classical Japanese-style calligraphy over the years.[127] Four tekagami containing works from the 8th century Nara to the 15th century Muromachi period have been designated as National Treasures.[4]
Name
Authors
Remarks
Date
Format
Present location
Image
Castle of Brush and Ink Album (手鑑 翰墨城, tekagami kanbokujō)[131]
various
Together with the "Companions of Past Ages" and the "Moshiogusa Album of Exemplary Calligraphy" considered to be one of the three great albums of exemplary calligraphy
Companions of Past Ages (手鑑 見ぬ世の友, tekagami minu yo no tomo)[132]
various
Together with the "Kanbokujō" and the "Moshiogusa Album of Exemplary Calligraphy" considered to be one of the three great albums of exemplary calligraphy
Moshiogusa Album of Exemplary Calligraphy (手鑑 藻塩草, tekagami Moshiogusa)[127]
various
Samples on the obverse side are arranged by status of the author (from emperors and crown princes down to poets). Handed down in the Kohitsu family in the Edo period. Together with the "Kanbokujō" and the "Companions of Past Ages" considered to be one of the three great albums of exemplary calligraphy
In Japanese calligraphy the term Kohitsu (古筆) originally referred to works by ancient calligraphers, or poets, on scrolls or bound books, created from between the 8th to 15th centuries.[96][134][135] In today's use, the term mainly describes copies of poetry anthologies from the Heian to mid-Kamakura period.[134] Since they were made as artful daily items for the nobility, in addition to having a beautiful script, attention was given to the choice of paper (which was often decorated), the binding, mountings and even accompanying boxes.[96][134] Stylistically, kohitsu were written in Japanese kana in cursive script (sōgana).[96][135] In the Momoyama and early Edo period, surviving kohitsu were often cut (kohitsu-gire), mounted on hanging scrolls and displayed in a tea room.[96][134][135] Six scrolls of kohitsu poetry collections from the mid-Heian period have been designated as National Treasures. They were made by two calligraphers: Fujiwara no Yukinari and Ono no Michikaze.[4]
Name
Authors
Remarks
Date
Format
Present location
Image
Poetic Anthology of Bo Juyi (白氏詩巻, Hakushi shikan)[117]
Collection of poems by the Chinese poet Bo Juyi written in cursive, semi-cursive and regular script and representing the Japanese style halfway in its development
Autumn Bushｰclover Scroll (秋萩帖, Akihagi-jō) and Commentary on the Military Strategy Chapter of the Huainanzi (淮南鴻烈兵略間詁, wainan kōretsu heiryaku kanko) on the reverse side[139]
Front: 48 Japanese poems on 1st–15th sheet and 12 (copies of) letters by Wang Xizhi on 16th–20th sheet all in simple cursive style. Poems on 1st sheet in hand of Ono no Michikaze, those on other sheets said to be by Fujiwara no Yukinari or possibly Emperor Fushimi
Reverse: philosophical treaties in regular script covering 2nd–20th sheet
The scroll, also known as Honnōji-gire, is written in Japanese style and contains compositions by Ono no Takamura, Sugawara no Michizane and Ki no Haseo (紀長谷雄)
There are three National Treasures writings that do not fit in any of the above categories, all originating in China. Two are 7th century works: a copy of the Thousand Character Classic by Zhi Yong both in formal and cursive scripts, and a tracing copy of a letter by the famous Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi. The former work[nb 11] is said to have been imported to Japan by the legendary scholar Wani in ancient times. One is a 13th-century set of large-scale letters (2 or 3 each) to be displayed on walls or above doorways.[4]
↑ The scrolls read: 普門院、方丈、旃檀林、解空室／東西蔵、首座、書記、維那、前後知客、浴司、三応
↑ Two or three large characters written horizontally for display on a wall or over a doorway
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Rinnō-ji (輪王寺) is a Tendai Buddhist temple in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
Buddhism played an important role in the development of Japanese art between the 6th and the 16th centuries. Buddhist art and Buddhist religious thought came to Japan from China through Korea. Buddhist art was encouraged by Crown Prince Shōtoku in the Suiko period in the sixth century, and by Emperor Shōmu in the Nara period in the eighth century. In the early Heian period, Buddhist art and architecture greatly influenced the traditional Shinto arts, and Buddhist painting became fashionable among wealthy Japanese. The Kamakura period saw a flowering of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, whose origins are in the works of Heian period sculptor Jōchō. During this period, outstanding busshi appeared one after another in the Kei school, and Unkei, Kaikei, and Tankei were especially famous. The Amida sect of Buddhism provided the basis for many popular artworks. Buddhist art became popular among the masses via scroll paintings, paintings used in worship and paintings of Buddhas, saint's lives, hells and other religious themes. Under the Zen sect of Buddhism, portraiture of priests such as Bodhidharma became popular as well as scroll calligraphy and sumi-e brush painting.
Japanese Buddhist architecture is the architecture of Buddhist temples in Japan, consisting of locally developed variants of architectural styles born in China. After Buddhism arrived from the continent via the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the 6th century, an effort was initially made to reproduce the original buildings as faithfully as possible, but gradually local versions of continental styles were developed both to meet Japanese tastes and to solve problems posed by local weather, which is more rainy and humid than in China. The first Buddhist sects were Nara's six Nanto Rokushū, followed during the Heian period by Kyoto's Shingon and Tendai. Later, during the Kamakura period, in Kamakura were born the Jōdo and the native Japanese sect Nichiren-shū. At roughly the same time, Zen Buddhism arrived from China, strongly influencing all other sects in many ways, including in architecture. The social composition of Buddhism's followers also changed radically with time. Beginning as an elite religion, it slowly spread from the nobility to warriors and merchants, and finally to the population at large. On the technical side, new woodworking tools like the framed pit saw and the plane allowed new architectural solutions.
Sutra copying is the East Asian practice of hand-copying Buddhist sutras.
Kōyasan Reihōkan is an art museum on Kōya-san, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, preserving and displaying Buddhist art owned by temples on Kōya-san. The collection is centered around articles from the Heian and Kamakura periods and includes paintings, calligraphy, sutras, sculpture and Buddhist ritual objects. Among these are a set of the complete Buddhist canon (issaikyō), writings of Kūkai and Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, mandalas and portraits of priests. The most valuable objects have been designated as National Treasure or Important Cultural Property.
↑ 国宝・重要文化財（美術工芸品）の指定について～[Designation of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties in the arts and crafts category](PDF) (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 2018-03-09. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
↑ 『法華経（久能寺経）』の国宝指定について[Designation of the Lotus Sutra (Kunōji Sutra) as National Treasure] (in Japanese). Kobe. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
↑ 宋版一切経[Complete Buddhist scriptures, Song edition] (in Japanese). Daigo-ji. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
↑ "- 埼玉県ときがわ町 - 国指定文化財"[Saitama Prefecture, Tokigawa - National Cultural Properties] (in Japanese). Tokigawa. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
↑ "菩薩処胎経"[Sutra of the Bodhisattva's Dwelling in the Womb]. Chion-in. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
↑ "釈摩訶衍論"[Shaku makaenron]. Ōtsu City Museum of History. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
↑ 観心本尊抄[Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, The] (in Japanese). Hokekyō-ji. Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
↑ 立正安国論[Treatise on securing the peace of the land through the establishment of the correct teaching] (in Japanese). Hokekyō-ji. Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
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