Investigation and Study on Buddhistic Books and Archives, in the possession of Toudaiji Temple

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 13301018
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Independent Administrative Institution National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara
• Principal Investigator: AYAMURA Hiroshi National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Nara, Cultural Heritage Division, Director, 奈良文化財研究所・文化遺産研究部, 部長 (20000507)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TOMITA Masahiro Toyama University, Dept.of Cultual Sciences, Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (50227625) ; YUYAMA Kenichi Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Properties Dept., Councilor, 文化財部, 鑑査官 (00300690) ; NAGAMURA Makoto Nihon Women' University, Dept.of Literature, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (40107470) ; ENDO Motoo Tokyo University, Historiographical Institute, Assistant Professor, 史料編纂所, 助教授 (40251475) ; YOKOUCHI Hiroto Toudaiji Temple, Research Institute of Toudaiji History, Chief Researcher, 館員
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2004
• Keywords: Toudaiji Temple / Buddhistic Books and documents / Chest of Sesinkou

Research Abstract

We investigated undisposed-of buddhistic books and archives stocked in the repository number four in the library of Todaiji Temple from the 2001 fiscal year to the 2004,drew up a report of scientific research results as a result of the investigation and issued it in March 2005.
In this term of the investigation, catalogs about buddhistic books and archives stored in the 50 exclusive boxes were made and included in the report. The boxes with the numbers storing vessels and documents of after the Meiji period were excluded from the subject of this investigation. The report includes 12,634 archives listed in the catalogs. We included tables of outlines of each box which we could not make a catalog of every archive in it. Buddhistic books and archives of this investigation are composed mainly of buddhistic books and archives, and scrolls of sutras of modern times. We confirmed that they were good data to show the aspect of Todaiji Temple in modern times which had seldom considered as a subject of study. We include two treatises into a chapter of study in the report ; treatise about analyzing Todaiji Temple in modern times by data we confirmed in this investigation and case study of archives and scrolls of sutras of Heian and Kamakura period which this investigation discovered. We discovered a empty box which was proved to be chest of Sesinkou by an archive attached on the inside of the lid. As an interdisciplinary result it was also proved to have been made in 1138 at latest by a dendrochronological investigation result which was from 1088 to 1138.