Verses from the Benchūhenron sutra (Benchūhenron honju)

Unknown

Handscroll entitled 'Verses from the Benchūhenron sutra' (Benchūhenron honju) written and painted in gold and silver on paper dyed with indigo, made in Japan between 1117 and 1126. With its alternating columns of gold and silver script, this scroll is considered to be one of a group of scrolls known as the Chūsonji-kyō: a compilation of Buddhist religious texts and regulations commissioned by the warlord Fujiwara no Kiyohira (1056–1128) for dedication to the temple of Chūsonji in northern Japan. The frontispiece painting shows Shakyamuni preaching on Vulture Peak.