Textiles: Newly Discovered Mokkan Wooden Tablets from the 7th Century
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Inserts for Buddhist Ritual Banners (Originally wooden tablets), Formerly preserved at Horyuji, Asuka-Nara period, 7th-8th century
The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures Room 6
August 23, 2016 (Tue) - September 19, 2016 (Mon)From among unsorted materials in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, wooden tablets with inscriptions have been newly discovered. These tablets were inserted into the upper, main sections of Buddhist ritual banners called ban to prevent them from becoming distorted. Written in ink on these tablets are letters from the Chinese textbook Qianziwen (Thousand-character text), the names of nuns, and records for the sale of salt. These eight tablets were wrapped in Japanese paper with writing in red that read “No. 4: Inkcakes from Silla.” Considering that inkcakes from the Korean kingdom of Silla have been preserved in the Shosoin Repository in Nara, it has been confirmed that these tablets were originally stored in this repository.
The writings on these tablets are invaluable especially for examining life at temples in ancient times, and future research in this field is eagerly awaited.
Including:
Textiles:
Large Kanton-ban (Buddhist Ritual Banner), Asuka - Nara period, 7th - 8th century
Inserts for Buddhist Ritual Banners (Originally wooden tablets), Formerly preserved at Horyuji, Asuka-Nara period, 7th-8th century