Daihannya-Gyo Sutra (Yakushi-ji Version)

Some 600 scrolls of the Daihannya-gyo sutra were traditionally handed down at Yakushi-ji temple in Nara. Today, the scrolls are divided between Yakushi-ji temple and other collections, including the Fujita Museum of Art, Osaka. The Osaka Municipal Museum of Art houses five scrolls, namely scrolls 38, 87, 267, 407 and 589 from the set. The beginning of each scroll is stamped in red with the round Yakushiji-in intaglio seal. The first sheet of paper in the mounted scroll is impressed on the back with a black seal that reads “Yakushiji Kondo.” Each sheet of paper has 24 lines of text, with 17 characters per line. The thick brownish jute stock paper is brushed with ruled lines in a light-toned ink and the scroll spindles are ginkgo-leaf-shaped composite wood coated in white oil. The calligrapher is traditionally said to be Asano-no-Nakai, a renowned doctor and calligrapher of his day. The set of scrolls, however, is clearly by more than one hand, and there is a mixture of regular, austere calligraphy style with characters drawn in a thickly brushed, livelier hand. This is a treasured example of a late Tempyo period sutra transcriptions.