Ancient Manuscripts


China
Paper
Others
2018.10, 2018.14, 2018.31, 2018.36, 2018.40

The Museum houses the Collection of the Li Ka Shing Foundation of 43 Sūtra manuscripts. The Collection was probably acquired by Otani Kozui’s expedition team, sponsored by Nishi Hondanji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. They were excavated and collected in China’s Turfan and Dunhuang Region. Moreover, these ancient manuscripts originated from circa 4th to 10th centuries CE. They reflect the evolution of different historical periods’ calligraphic styles. The Sūtras, comprising the Li Ka Shing Foundation Collection, contain a wide range of Mahāyāna Sūtras, of which many are Prajñāpāramitāsūtras. Some of these were early translations of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitāsūtra, while others, such as the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra, was a later translation by the famous Venerable Xuanzang (602-664 CE). These scriptures are precious treasures, encapsulating key ways of thoughts and values of each historical period.