Hyakumantō Darani
Hyakumantō Darani ( | |
---|---|
One Million Pagodas and Dharani Prayers | |
Material | Washi (paper), ink, wood |
Writing | Japanese |
Created | 764-770 C.E. |
Present location | various |
The Hyakumantō Darani (
Manufacture[edit]
The production of the Hyakumantō Darani was a huge undertaking. In the year of her resumption of the throne, 764, the Empress Shōtoku commissioned the one million small wooden pagodas (Hyakumantō (
Historical context[edit]
There are various theories around Shōtoku's motives for commissioning the Hyakumantō Darani. One is that of remorse and thanksgiving for the suppression of the Emi Rebellion of 764, and another is as an assertion of power and control over resources, but the act could equally serve both political and devotional aims.[5] Either it was felt that printing as a technology had served its ritual purpose through the creation of the Hyakumantō Darani, or simply that the cost of this mass production proved prohibitive, but printing technology did not become widespread until the tenth century and the production, and distribution of books continued to rely heavily on hand-copying manuscripts.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mukujôkô daidarani kyô = The Sutra of the Great Incantations of Undefiled Pure Light = Vimalasuddhaprabhasa Mahadharani Suttra". Archived from the original on 2018-03-04. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
- ^ Kornicki, Peter (11 January 2012). "The Hyakumantō Darani and the Origins of Printing in Eighth-Century Japan". International Journal of Asian Studies. 9 (1): 43–70. doi:10.1017/S1479591411000180. S2CID 146242695. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kornicki, Peter (11 January 2012). "The Hyakumanto Darani and the Origins of Printing in Eighth-Century Japan". International Journal of Asian Studies. 9 (1): 56. doi:10.1017/S1479591411000180. S2CID 146242695. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kornicki, Peter (11 January 2012). "The Hyakumanto Darani and the Origins of Printing in Eighth-Century Japan". International Journal of Asian Studies. 9 (1): 45. doi:10.1017/S1479591411000180. S2CID 146242695. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kornicki, Peter (11 January 2012). "The Hyakumanto Darani and the Origins of Printing in Eighth-Century Japan". International Journal of Asian Studies. 9 (1): 57–59. doi:10.1017/S1479591411000180. S2CID 146242695. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ Kornicki, Peter (11 January 2012). "The Hyakumanto Darani and the Origins of Printing in Eighth-Century Japan". International Journal of Asian Studies. 9 (1): 57–59. doi:10.1017/S1479591411000180. S2CID 146242695. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
Further reading[edit]
- Yiengpruksawan, Mimi Hall (1987). One Millionth of a Buddha: The "Hyakumantō Darani" in the Scheide Library. The Princeton University Library Chronicle, 48 (3), 224–238. doi:10.2307/26410044
- McBride, Richard D. II (2011). Practical Buddhist Thaumaturgy: The "Great Dhāraṇī on Immaculately Pure Light" in Medieval Sinitic Buddhism, Journal of Korean Religions 2 (1), 33-73
- Kornicki, Peter (2012). The Hyakumanto Darani and the Origins of Printing in Eighth-Century Japan, International Journal of Asian Studies, 9 (1), pp. 43–70, Cambridge University Press
External links[edit]
- The First Printed Text in the World, Standing Tall and Isolated in Eighth-century Japan: Hyakumanto Darani by Robert G. Sewell
- Example from the Schøyen Collection
- (in Japanese) Digital Exhibition of National Diet Library
- Hyakumantō darani (FG.870.1-4) A Pagoda and four darani in the collections of Cambridge University Library and digitised in full, complete with a 3D model of the Pagoda, in Cambridge Digital Library