Sutra Mounds: Time Capsules for 5,670,000,000 Years
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Sutra Case Shaped Like a Jeweled Pagoda
Found at the Shiōjiyama Sutra Mound, Fukuoka, Heian period, 1123 (Important Cultural Property)Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
April 8, 2026 (Wed) - September 13, 2026 (Sun)Sutra mounds were created from the Heian (794–1192) to the Edo (1603–1868) period for the purpose of preserving Buddhist sutra scrolls. The oldest example is a mound from which a cylinder containing sutras was excavated on Mt. Kinpu in Nara prefecture. It is believed that the Heian-period aristocrat Fujiwara no Michinaga dedicated this cylinder in 1007. The shape of a mound as well as the sutras and other objects it contains vary with its location and the time it was created. Sutras for these mounds were inscribed not only on paper but also on ceramic tiles, bronze plates, stones, shells, and other materials.
The creation of sutra mounds was motivated by the idea, which became widespread in the mid-Heian period, that Buddhist Law will decline 2,000 years after the Buddha’s death. A series of natural disasters and disturbances in society occurred around 1052, the year that this decline was thought to begin, leading people to draw connections. It was also believed that the Buddhist deity Maitreya would reappear in this world 5,670,000,000 years in the future and that Buddhism would prosper again. Sutra mounds were essentially time capsules meant to preserve sutra scrolls until the arrival of this age.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Sutra Case Shaped Like a Jeweled Pagoda | Found at the Shiōjiyama Sutra Mound, Fukuoka | Heian period, 1123 | J-37501 | ||
| Highlight | Ewer with a Handle | Excavated at Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Found at the Inariyama Sutra Mound, Kyoto | Heian period, 12th century | E-14636 | |||
| Highlight | Sutra Case | Found in Sabae City, Fukui | Muromachi period, 16th century | E-14821 | |||
| Highlight | Stones with Sutra Text | Found in Tsu City, Mie | Muromachi period, 16th century | B-2130 | |||
| Highlight | Seashells with Sutra Text | Found at Amidadera Temple, Yamaguchi | Muromachi period, 16th century | Gift of Mr. Tokugawa Yorisada, B-2165 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Sutra Case | Found at the Kashioyama Sutra Mound, Yamanashi | Heian period, 1103 | J-37251 | 昭和100年関連 |