Section of the Flower Ornament Sutra (Kegon-kyō), known as the “Senpukuji Burned Sutra” (Senpukuji yakegyō)

Unidentified artist

Not on view

The Flower Ornament Sutra teaches that the wisdom of the Buddha is present everywhere in the universe, including within each person. The brown burn marks on this fragment indicate that it has survived a fire, a reminder that nothing—not even the Buddha’s law—lasts forever. Shakyōtai, a sutra-copying script from the late Heian period seen here, is characterized by rapidly brushed but very legible calligraphy.

Section of the Flower Ornament Sutra (Kegon-kyō), known as the “Senpukuji Burned Sutra” (Senpukuji yakegyō), Unidentified artist, Section of handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on pale indigo-dyed paper decorated with flakes of gold leaf, Japan

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Section of the Flower Ornament Sutra (Kegon-kyō), known as the “Senpukuji Burned Sutra” (Senpukuji yakegyō), Unidentified artist, Section of handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on pale indigo-dyed paper decorated with flakes of gold leaf, Japan
Section of the Flower Ornament Sutra (Kegon-kyō), known as the “Senpukuji Burned Sutra” (Senpukuji yakegyō), Unidentified artist, Section of handscroll mounted as a hanging scroll; ink on pale indigo-dyed paper decorated with flakes of gold leaf, Japan

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.