• Kōsan maka han’nya haramitsu = Guangzan mohe bore boluo mi (Mahāprajñāpāramitā, the sūtra of the great perfection of wisdom)
    光讃摩訶般若波羅蜜

Uniform title:
  • Tripiṭaka. Sūtrapiṭaka. Prajñāpāramitā. Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra. Chinese
Contributor:
  • Kōmyō, Empress, consort of Shōmu, Emperor of Japan, 701-760
  • 光明, Empress, consort of Shōmu, Emperor of Japan, 701-760
  • Kumārajīva, -412?
  • 鳩摩羅什, d. 412?
Publisher:
  • [S.l. : s.n.], Tenpyō 12 [740]
  • [S.l. : s.n.], 天平 12 [740]
Extent:
  • 1 scroll ; 26.2 x 678 cm.
Format:
Description:
  • Ms.
  • "皇后藤原氏光明子奉冩"--From the end of the text.
  • Caption title.
  • Translator taken from Bussho kaisetsu daijiten.
  • Accession number: GM221 740.
  • Housed in a box with 5 other schrolls.
  • Seal of Tōdaiji.
Edm rights:
  • No Known Copyright
View in catalog:
Curator's notes:

  • Classical Chinese, Classical Japanese
    Japan, 737–740, paper

    Before printing, the hand-copying of the Buddhist Canon took place in large scriptoria, as was the case with an early project led by the Japanese Queen Kōmyō. Coming from a devout Buddhist background, she managed a scriptorium that became a part of the Tōdaiji temple. Thousands of scrolls were copied there, out of which Princeton has two; the one shown here shows the Tōdaiji seal. Archives at the Shōsōin Treasure House of the Tōdaiji temple give current scholars an almost day-to-day overview of this project, which was a vow on behalf of her parents and the emperor.

    Gest Collection, BQ1100 .T67 GM 221

    For further reading

    Lowe, Bryan D. “Patrons of paper and clay: methods for studying women’s religiosity in ancient Japan.” In Female agency in manuscript cultures, edited by Eike Grossmann, 19-63. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2024.

Exhibit category: