Lotus Sutra, Chapters 20 and 23
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
-
Period
1180 -
Geography
Japan -
Material
Color, gold, and silver on indigo-dyed paper, rock crystal jiku -
Dimension
H x W (overall): 26 x 877.3 cm (10 1/4 x 345 3/8 in) -
Accession Number
F1980.199 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1980.199
Object Details
-
Description
Handscroll with regulated lines of seventeen Chinese characters, written in gold and silver on indigo dyed paper. Frontispiece illustration painted in full color and embellished with gold and silver depicting dancers costumed as a butterfly and a supernatural bird carrying liturgical banners aloft. The text employs a formal style of Chinese characters customarily used for writing sutras.With rock crystal jiku. In a blue-red silk wrapper and a wooden storage box. -
Provenance
?-1980Kurisu Michio, Osaka, Japan, method of acquisition unknown [1]From 1980Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Kurisu Michio, Osaka, Japan [2]Notes:[1] See object file for copy of Freer Gallery of Art vault record, no. V25.80ab, indicating that the object, sent by Kurisu Michio, was received at the Freer on March 10, 1980; “D-16” is typed below vault record no. V25.80ab. See also copy of a letter from Thomas Lawton to Kurisu Michio, dated February 20, 1980, indicating that there were three items currently in his collection which the Freer Gallery of Art was interested in examining. Lawton wrote, “During his recent visit to Japan, Dr. Yoshiaki Shimizu of our staff saw several objects in your collection that he would like to have brought to the Freer Gallery of Art for further study.” The third object identified in Lawton’s letter is described as “Two scrolls from the Motochika-kyo (Lotus Sutra transcribed by Motochika).”[2] See object file for copy of Michio Kurisu [sic.] invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated to April 7, 1980, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on May 15, 1980.Research updated October 20, 2023 -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Words of Wisdom: Buddhist Calligraphy from Japan (April 1, 2023 to February 25, 2024)The Power of Words in an Age of Crisis (October 14, 2017 to May 6, 2018)Faith and Form: Selected Calligraphy and Painting from the Japanese Religious Traditions (March 20 to July 18, 2004)Japanese Art (May 9, 1993 to November 21, 1995) -
Previous custodian or owner
Michio Kurisu -
Origin
Japan -
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment -
Type
Calligraphy -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.
Keep Exploring
-
Related Resources
-
Date
-
Name
-
Place
-
Topic
-
Culture
-
Object Type