A cypress wood stupa and printed prayer scroll, Japan, Nara period, commissioned in 764 AD

Sotheby's London, 15th November 2012, lot 120.

This finely carved cypress wood stupa opens to reveal a cylindrical aperture which perfectly fits one of the earliest examples of print on paper, a 31-column printed prayer scroll of thanksgiving to the Buddha for the Imperial victory over the Emi no Oshikatsu (Fujiwara Nakamaro) faction in 764 AD.

Five similar stupas from the Hyakumanto are illustrated by Smith, Harris and Clark, Japanese Art/Masterpieces in The British Museum, London, 1990, pg. 31. The authors state that the prayers contained in each pagoda are the earliest surviving examples of printed Japanese text, concluding that: “100,000 of the stupas were given to each of the ten great monasteries in the Kansai region”. For another copy of the jishin'in dharani, also with a thirty-one column text and five characters per column, compare the example in The Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, sold at Christie’s New York, 7th October 1988, lot 52. See also another example from the collection of Tsuneichi Inoue, sold in our London rooms, 13th May 2015, lot 67.

Empress Shotoku (r. 765-769)’s era and reign appears to have been characterised by faction and dispute. This was a situation exacerbated by the political ambitions of the Buddhist Bonze, Dokyo who sought favour with the Empress in an attempt to increase his power and authority. Understandably, some courtiers and notably Fujiwara Nakamaro, were concerned by Dokyo’s influence. A revolution ensued in 764 AD, with the result that Nakamaro’s supporters were defeated, and Nakamaro himself was killed. It is possible therefore that the actual impetus for the manufacture and distribution of this group of Stupas came from Dokyo, rather than from The Empress.

However, Dokyo’s faction appear to have overplayed their hand, suggesting that Dokyo should consider taking the throne as his own. The Empress is said to have sent her loyal retainer, Wake no Kiyomaro, to seek advice from Hachiman at Usa, in an attempt to take the right decision for the future of Imperial power. Kiyomaro returned with the verdict that a commoner was unable to become Emperor, an answer which resulted in Kiyomaro’s exile in 768 AD. The tide had changed, however, and the following year, 769 AD, Konin-Tenno, Japan’s forty-ninth Emperor, came to the throne. His first act was to banish Dokyo to Shimotsuke, and to recall from exile the faithful Kiyomaru, who was appointed Udaijin.