Myōhō rengekyō, kan dai-8 妙法蓮華經巻第八 [妙法蓮華経巻第八]

Translator: Kumārajīva, 4th-5th century. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [printed at Nara or Kyōto, early Kamakura period, c. end of 12th century or beginning of 13th] . No colophon or dated shikigo. Description: 1 kan, 1 roll (kansubon 巻子本) in a wooden box. Roll is made up of 151 / 2 sheets, each 51.5 cm. long, 27.5 cm. in height. Blockprint. Printing frame (height) 21.5 cm., 2 cm. between vertical rules. Gold borders above and below text; gold rules between columns. Kanbun text, with kutōten added in red ink. Rounded kaisho script. 24-25 lines to sheet, 17 characters to line. Original protective end cover, ornamented on front and back with squares, strips and fragments of silver and gold foil, now somewhat tarnished. No title slip or gedai. Roller with ivory ends, not original. Text paper, white ganpi of high quality with a light sprinkling of mica dust. Edition: One roll of an ornamented sutra (sōshokugyō 装飾経) from the same edition as Or.64.b.37. Script, hanshiki and ornamentation appear to be identical in all respects. Kasuga-ban. Contents: The eighth and final volume of the Hokekyō (Myōhō rengekyō) or Lotus Sutra, translated from the Sanskrit Saddharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra. This roll comprises the following three sections: no. 25, Kanzeon bosatsu fumonbon 觀世音菩薩普門品; no. 27, Myōshōgon'ō honjibon 妙莊嚴王本事品; no. 28, Fugen bosatsu kanpatsubon 普賢菩薩勸發品. (No. 26, Daranibon 陀羅尼品is apparently not included.).

Unrestricted

Acquired from Kōbunsō, 12 Feb. 1968.

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993). B. Buddhist works 仏書 2. Basic mahayana scriptures 主要大乗経典

See no. 130 above.