Segment of Chapter 19 of the Lotus Sutra

Kujō Kanezane

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In Buddhism, transcribing and preserving sacred teachings results in the accrual of religious merit. This hanging scroll preserves a fragment of a sumptuously decorated multivolume transcription of the Lotus Sutra. Brushed in ink on paper adorned with gold and silver, the five lines are from the middle of Chapter 19, which describes how the six senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and mind) can be purified by reading, reciting, copying, studying, and upholding the teachings of the sutra. The passage lists a series of smells (香) discernible by believers, including fragrant flowers and trees as well as the odors of different animals and people.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art