Calligraphy and Textiles

Bonmō-kyō (Sutra of Brahma's Net) (detail)
Heian period, 9th century (Important Cultural Property)

The Gallery of Horyuji Treasures Room 6
May 9, 2023 (Tue) - June 4, 2023 (Sun)

The works of calligraphy held in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures primarily consist of records donated to the temple by Empress Kōken (713–770), works imported from China during the Tang dynasty (618–907), and Horyuji Temple’s records of daily events as well as legends concerning Prince Shōtoku.

The textiles held in the collection date from the mid-7th to 8th century and consist mainly of Buddhist ritual banners (ban), table mats (joku), and robes or other clothing worn by monks. The textiles also include fragments whose original uses are unknown, including rare ancient textiles, such as warp-faced compound weaves, tapestries, warp ikat fragments, complex gauze (ra), and plain- and twill- weave silks.

Dyed fabrics include examples of all three major dyeing techniques form the 8th century: tie-dyeing in a dot pattern (kōkechi), wax-resist dyeing (rōkechi), and clamp-resist dyeing (kyōkechi). The collection also features examples of early embroidery, braiding, and rugs.

Commentary Sheet (PDF)

Major Work(s) on Exhibit 6 results

Calligraphy

	Designation	Name	Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance	Period	Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number	CMT
Highlight	Important Cultural Property	"Bonmō-kyō" (Sutra of Brahma's Net)		Heian period, 9th century	N-13-1
Highlight	Important Cultural Property	Sutra Scroll Wrapper		Kamakura period, Kenkyu era (1190-1199)	N-9

	Designation	Name	Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance	Period	Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number	CMT
Highlight		Cloth, With paired birds and bead roundels design on reddish purple ground		Asuka - Nara period, 7th-8th century	I-336-39
Highlight		Cloth, With flowers in bead roundels design on red ground		Asuka ～ Nara period, 7th - 8th century	I-336-66
Highlight		Pieces of Cloth, With paired phoenixes and bead roundels design on light brown ground		Asuka ～ Nara period, 7th - 8th century	I-336-69
Highlight		Fragment of Cloth, With lateral stripes design in assorted colors	Formerly preserved at Horyuji	Nara period, 8th century	I-336-87

Exhibitions