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An Overview of the Hand-copying Sutras Preserved inShogozo(聖語藏) of SHOSOIN(正倉院)

杉本一樹 1

1宮內廳正倉院事務所

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper’s aim is to give a total overview of the hand-copying sutras in Shogozo(聖語藏) of SHOSOIN(正倉院). They were made up both chinese hand- copying sutras conveyed from Tang or Sui China to Todaiji(東大寺) in Nara period of Japan and classical Japanese hand-copying sutras copied in Todaiji in the 8th century. After that, the hand-copying sutras piled up high and inherited in the library in line with the development of buddhist study of Sonshoin(尊勝院) in Todaiji. Shogozo was separated from Todaiji in modern times. The hand- copying sutras in Shogozo were designated as National Treasures by the Office of the SHOSOIN Treasure House of Japan and reached to about 5,000 sutras. They are of a good quality and of a large quantity of texts and the first grade materials to research Buddhism, history, Japanese language, history of calligraphy and paper of East Asia for the center of Huayan(華嚴) study. Through the Nara hand-copying sutras in the 8th century, we can clearly investigate the process of copying sutras with the ancient documents of SHOSOIN and understand the aspect of the positive acceptance of the foreign culture. They also contained the materials on Korean language and the history of the chinese characters.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.