Nigatsudō Burned Sutra

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This fragment of the Flower Garland Sutra (Kegonkyō) comes from a set of sixty handscrolls donated to the temple Tōdaiji in Nara in 744. Damaged by a fire at the temple’s Nigatsudō Hall, the surviving sections are known today as Nigatsudō Burned Sutras (Nigatsudō yakegyō). The scripture’s singed edges, capturing the Buddhist idea that everything is impermanent, has made these remnants especially prized. Such fragments also represent some of the earliest surviving examples of the practice of transcribing Buddhist texts using precious materials. The copying of religious writings was thought to confer spiritual merit on all those involved in the project, including the donors, scribes, and craftsmen who prepared the materials, and so was done in great numbers during this period. The characters are written in a special form of “regular script” (kaisho) that, while written quickly, is balanced and even, with each stroke clearly visible to maximize legibility. The thickened downward diagonal strokes and exaggerated hooks at the ends of other strokes lend a sense of ornamentation and elegance.

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