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Tile with the Lotus Sutra
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Tile with the Lotus Sutra
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Tile with the Lotus Sutra
JAPAN; Heian period (794–1185); Earthenware; 22.9 x 18.9 cm; Nara National Museum, Japan
This earthenware tile, measuring 22.9 cm high, 18.9 cm wide, and 1.8 cm thick, is inscribed with a sutra on both sides. Such sutra tiles were buried during the late Heian period at a time when the decline of Buddhism was thought to be approaching. The aim was to preserve the sutras for the eventual arrival of Maitreya.
The sutra tile has vertical lines forming ten columns, each of which contains 17 characters. The tile is inscribed with the Chapter on the Merit of Rejoicing" from the Lotus Sutra. The origin of the tile is unknown |
