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- Sutra Tiles
Overview
Sutra Tiles
- Museum No.
- JK244
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Title | Sutra Tiles |
---|---|
Designation | |
Artist | |
Category | Archaeology (J), Sutra Tiles |
Country | Japan |
Period | Heian |
Century | 12th |
Year | |
Quantity | |
Materials | |
Dimensions | |
Inscription by | |
Signature/Seals Etc | |
Donor | Tanahashi Nobufumi |
Included Works
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Gakyô are baked clay tiles engraved with Buddhist texts such as the Lotus Sutra (J., Hokkekyô) and Heart Sutra (J., Hannya shingyô). Sutra tiles, more durable than sutra manuscripts on paper, were developed for use as votive objects to be kept buried in sutra mounds for the longest time possible. One tile contained ten lines of 17 Chinese characters each on both sides, so dozens to a few hundred clay tiles were needed to engrave the entire text of a sutra. Gakyô became popular in the late Heian period (794-1185) in western Japan.
Japan-Heian-Late