Title: Kongōhan'nyakyō (The Diamond Sutra), 1871. Manuscript Edition of this Famed Sutra in Four Fascicles, Finely Inked by Hand
Author: Commissioned for the Shiba(?) Clan
Condition: Very Good
An Early Meiji Period, late 19th century manuscript edition of the Kongōhan'nyakyō, or Diamond Sutra, being beautifully inked and decorated by hand. This manuscript is dated to the Fourth Year of the Meiji Era, being 1871.
A Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra from the genre of Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the Diamond Sutra is regarded as one of the most influential Sutras in Eastern Asia, with the earliest surviving copy found among the Dunhuang Manuscripts, and regarded to be the oldest extant book, being printed in 868 CE.
The composition of the sutra is a discourse of the Buddha to a senior monk, Subhuti, the major themes focus on the anatman or ‘not-self’, the emptiness of all phenomena, the liberation of all beings without attachment, and the importance of teaching and spreading understanding of the Diamon Sutra itself.
Accompanying the main text is also what appears to be a series of hiragana. Most likely, it served as a reading aid for Buddhist devotees and practitioners who were unable to or struggled to reach kanji.
Each sutra has been written on fine paper, and coated with mica dust, further adding to its quality. The title labels have been decorated with golden sprinkles as well.
The text has been written in a 2-column format, with up to 8 characters per column.
The manuscripts bear contemporary provenance having been produced for by a member of a previously existing clan. The calligraphy is difficult to make out, but it seems to read something along the lines of the Shiba(?) Clan, or something similar.
Four manuscripts in orihon format (23 x 8.7 cm), 110, 110, 108, 86 leaves
These manuscripts are in very good shape, with some rubbing and wear to the covers. There is some old rodent gnawing at some of the edges, especially to a corner chunk of the second volume. There are a few worm tracks to the lower and upper margins of a handful of leaves in the first and third volumes, as well as worm tracks to a few leaves of text in the first volume. A few leaf splits have early repairs to them, though one or two leaves are beginning to split again. There is very light, scattered staining to a few pages.