Commentary on the Three Maitreya Sutra (San mirokukyo so)Additional notes by Enchin on final volume

Ink on Paper / Three Scrolls

  • [Document 1] First Volume
  • [Document 2] Middle Volume
  • [Document 3] Final Volume; Additional notes by Enchin
  • original
  • transcription
  • original
  • transcription
  • original
  • transcription

The Commentary on the Three Maitreya Sutra, written by a scholarly monk of the Hosso order from Silla (ancient Korean kingdom) Kyeongheung 憬興 (in Japanese: Kyogo), is an annotation of the three Maitreya sutras (Maitreya's Ascent, Maitreya's Descent, Maitreya's Attainment of Buddhahood). Originally a single-volume work, it is now divided into three volumes. The last volume contains handwritten notes by Enchin, who added them a year before his death in 890. These notes indicate the volume was gifted by Kinchu Daitoku of Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara ("Gifted by Kinchu Daitoku to Enchin, added this note on the 9th intercalary month, eleventh day of 890 [by Enchin]"). The volume features traces of a stylus between the lines and around the characters, and other guiding marks to render Chinese into Japanese, including white dots, red dots, and punctuation marks. The presence of three impressions of Sanno-in Temple’s repository seal indicates it was stored in Enchin's residence, Sanno-in, at Mt. Hiei.

Category
National Treasure
Era
11th day of the 9th intercalary month, 890
Measurements
[Volume 1] 30.5 × 1055.0 cm, [Volume 2] 30.5 × 880.0 cm, [Volume 3] 30.4 × 702.0 cm