The Universal Gate Chapter from Hokekyo (Lotus Sutra) 法華経普門品（装飾経）ホケキョウフモンヒン(ソウショクキョウ)

Description

This decorated sutra is Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (J., <i>Kanzeon Bosatsu Fumonbon</i>), from the <i>Lotus Sutra</i> (Skt., <i>Saddharma pundarika Sutra</i>; J., <i>My&ocirc;h&ocirc;rengeky&ocirc;</i> or simply <i>Hokeky&ocirc;</i>), which explains how the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (J., Kanzeon or Kannon) saves all beings in need of help by taking on thirty-three manifestations. The frontispiece is painted in <i>ashide</i> (“reed”) style, which incorporates characters and motifs set within a vibrant <i>yamato-e</i> (Japanese-style) landscape. The morning sun rises into the clear sky from a softly undulating hillside, below which is a lotus pond. Following this landscape is the text, which was copied alternately on white, cloud-designed, purple, light blue, and light brown colored papers. At the end of the scroll, written in <i>ashide</i> style, is a verse in three stanzas: “Pure, immaculate light, the blessed sun breaks through the darkness, always shining upon the world.”