Bussetsu Amidakyō 佛説阿彌陀經 [仏説阿弥陀経]

This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 59 ORB 30/163
  • Dates of Creation
    • [1260-1300]
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume Condition: Good. Slight worm damage to ff. 3-10. Kawase believes (Kagami かがみ, no. 25, p. 4) that this copy lacks some middle folios, although complete at beginning and end. Collation of the text with TT (vol. 12, no. 366) indicates that the book is complete. Impression: Atozuri, but not markedly so. Seals of ownership: None.

Scope and Content

Variant title: Amidakyō 阿彌陀經 [阿弥陀経]. Variant title: Shō muryōjukyō 小無量壽經 [小無量寿経]. Translator: Kumārajīva, 4th-5th century. Imprint: N.p., n.d. [Published mid- to late-Kamakura period, c. 1260-1300, but this copy is a somewhat later impression.] No colophon. Description: 1 kan, formerly in 1 jō 帖 bound in detchō style, now rebound in western style. ff. [10] . 25.9 x 16.7 cm. Folios printed on both sides. Blockprint. Printing frame 22 x 12.6 cm. No borders. Kanbun text, with manuscript okurigana and kaeriten added, probably in Muromachi period. 6 lines to page, 17 characters to line. Dark blue front cover (Muromachi period?) with gold-painted title slip bearing manuscript gedai: 四紙弥陀經. Title from naidai. Text paper: thick, smooth ganpi (or a mixture of ganpi and kōzo). In a western style half-leather binding. Edition: Jōdokyō-ban, of the same edition and same impression as ORB.30/155 and ORB.30/156. Contents: Text of the 'smaller' Sukhāvatī-vyūha, third of the Jōdo sanbukyō, giving a brief description of Amida Buddha and the Pure Land, and urging the practice of nenbutsu 念仏.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Acquired from Ernest M. Satow, 22 Sept. 1884.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993). B. Buddhist works 仏書 4. Jōdo, jōdo shinshū sects 浄土・浄土真宗

Bibliography

See no. 141; also Bussho kaisetsu daijiten 仏書解説大辞典, vol. 1, p. 39 and Butten kaidai daijiten 仏典解題事典, p. 90.