Gilt Bronze Sutra Case of Fujiwara no Michinaga

The Oldest Sutra Case in Japan

The Gilt Bronze Sutra Case of Fujiwara no Michinaga (金銅藤原道長経筒) is the Heian-period sutra case of Fujiwara no Michinaga, owned by Kinpu Shrine and kept at the Kyoto National Museum in Chayamachi, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1952 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one case dated 1007, first designated under the old system in 1902.

The Kyoto National Museum explains that Michinaga had it made to hold sutras he copied himself, and that it is the oldest sutra case in Japan.

The Inscription

According to the museum, it is a bronze cylinder 36.4 centimetres high, thickly gilded and engraved with more than 500 characters, with a lid that fits over it like a tea caddy.

The inscription begins with Michinaga's title as Minister of the Left and details why the case was made, its meaning, the sutras and the plan to climb Mount Kinpu to bury it, ending with the burial date of the eleventh day of the eighth month of 1007.

What to Look For

The museum notes that Mount Kinpu, where he buried it, is the summit of Sanjogatake in the Omine range in the depths of Yoshino, Nara, 1,714 metres high; the burial is also recorded in Michinaga's diary, the Mido Kanpakuki. When his daughter Shoshi bore a prince the following year, people said the power of Mount Kinpu was great.

According to the museum, the case was dug up in 1691 during rebuilding of the main hall on the summit and is now kept at the museum.

Visiting the Gilt Bronze Sutra Case of Fujiwara no Michinaga

The case is kept at the Kyoto National Museum and is not always on display; check the museum's schedule.