Buddhist Scriptures Buried in Sutra Mounds: Clay Tablets, Stones, and Bronze Plates with Sutra Inscriptions
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Fragmented Tablet with Sutra Text, Found at the Mount Ōmine Peak Site, Nara, Heian period, 10th–12th century (Important Art Object)
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
March 12, 2024 (Tue) - September 16, 2024 (Mon)Sutra mounds were where Buddhist scriptures were buried in the hope of preserving them for a long time. While most of these scriptures were transcribed on paper and placed inside sutra cases before being buried, others took the form of clay tablets, metal plates, or stone (steatite), all of which would survive longer underground. For Buddhist scriptures made on these hard materials, texts could be inscribed directly onto more than one surface, even on the back and sides of the materials.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Tablets with Sutra Text | Found at the Dainichiji Sutra Mound, Tottori | Heian period, 1071 | J-36659 | ||||
| Tablet with Sutra Text | Found at Wakana Hachimangū Shrine, Fukuoka | Heian period, 12th century | Lent by Gankyōji Temple, Iwate | ||||
| Highlight | Important Art Object | Fragmented Tablet with Sutra Text | Found at the Mount Ōmine Peak Site, Nara | Heian period, 10th–12th century | E-19986 |