Buddhist Scriptures Buried in Sutra Mounds: Clay Tablets, Stones, and Bronze Plates with Sutra Inscriptions
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Tablet with Sutra Text
Found at the Komachizuka Sutra Mound, Mie, Heian period, 1174 (Important Cultural Property)Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
September 18, 2024 (Wed) - March 9, 2025 (Sun)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 | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Tablet with Sutra Text | Found at the Komachizuka Sutra Mound, Mie | Heian period, 1174 | J-36661 | ||
| Highlight | Important Art Object | Fragmented Tablet with Sutra Text | Found at the Mount Ōmine Peak Site, Nara | Heian period, 10th–12th century | E-19986 |