A Comprehensive Study of the Gold-and-Silver-Charactered Chusonjikyo Sutra

1996 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 06301009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 総合
• Research Field: Fine art history
• Research Institution: Kyoto National Museum
• Principal Investigator: FUJISAWA Norio Kyoto National Museum Director, 館長 (40025036)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIYAKAWA Teiichi Kyoto National Museum Dept. of Archaeology Curator, 学芸課, 文部技官 (30280530) ; AKAO Eikei Kyoto National Museum Dept. of Fine Arts Curator, 学芸課, 主任研究官 (20175764) ; IZUMI Takeo Kyoto National Museum Dept. of Fine Arts Curator, 学芸課, 主任研究官 (40168274) ; SHIMOSAKA Mamoru Kyoto National Museum Dept. of Public Relations Head Curator, 学芸課, 普及室長 (10150038) ; DONOHASHI Akio Kobe University Dept. of Literature Professor, 文学部, 教授 (30090377)
• Project Period (FY): 1994 – 1996
• Keywords: Chusonji / Gold and Silver / Frontispiece / Sutra

Research Abstract

This fieldwork encompassed 1125 scrolls from Kongobu-ji Temple, 216 from Kanshin-ji Temple and sixteen from Chuson-ji Temple. Of the 216 scrolls from Kanshin-ji, 166 are gold-and-silver-charactered and ten are gold-charactered scrolls that are thought to be the among the Chusonjikyo sutras. There were no silver-charactered sutras among the objects from Kongobu-ji, But six of the scrolls were gold-lettered Myohorengekyo (Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma or Lotus Sutra), Vol.1-6
These sutras would appear to be part of the well-known Chusonjikyo, however they data slightly later than the Kiyohira sutras, Thus these may be related sutras, perhaps written under Kiyohira's son Motohira.
Other points of interest in this fieldwork are as follows. Among the 1125 scrolls from Kongobu-ji, twenty-four scrolls had atypical frontispiece paintings, in that did not portray the Buddha teaching. Even among those that did portray sermons (seppozu).eight were irregular in that they portrayd the Buddha facing diagonally instead of forward, as was standard.
On the other hand, all of the 166 gold-charactered Kanshin-ji sutra scrolls and the ten gold-charactered Konkomyo Saisho-okyo sutras, excluding those with missing sections, have standard frontispiece paintings. The Konkomyo Saisho-okyo sutras are gold-charactered sutras, however their frontispiece paintings are extremely similar in style and composition to those of the Kiyohira sutras. Judging from these frontispieces, these sutras would seem to be quite close in date to the Kiyohira sutras.
The irregular frontispiece paintings were not painted only by one artist, but apear to be the product of several different hands. They give the strong impression of having been painted by artists with confidence in their skills. The seppozu frontispiece paintings are significant in their use of all-gold paint, a trend that did not become comm on until after the Kamakura Period.