経筒きょうづつ

  • 伝福岡県出土
  • 平安時代後期
  • 12c
  • 鋳銅製
  • H-28.4 D-12

平安時代後期 12世紀
高:28.4cm 蓋径:12.4cm

端整な宝珠形の鈕をいただく甲盛り状の傘蓋と円筒形の筒身からなる銅鋳製経筒。蓋は裏面の造り出しが筒身口縁部に嵌め込みとなる一種の被せ蓋式で,六角形に象られているのが特徴的である。六方の稜角部分にはいずれも孔を穿っているが,当初は荘厳のための瓔珞を垂下していたのであろう。

筒身は口縁部と基部の二カ所にそれぞれ鋳出の突帯二条をめぐらして単調な形姿に変化をつけるほか,筒身と一鋳の基台を設け,経筒全体の安定を計っている。裏面は別鋳の底板を嵌め込む。

六角形の傘蓋を具備する宝珠鈕被せ蓋式円筒形銅鋳製経筒の事例としては,福岡県大宰府町宝満山経塚出土の品(重要文化財)がつとに著名であり,類品に近くの四王寺山経塚から長治3年(1106)銘の経筒が出土しているところから,ほぼ同時期のものに比定されるが,この経筒も形式・手法は共通しており,経塚造営全盛期であった12世紀前半の作とみて大過はない。

経塚への埋経は,その濫觴となる寛弘4年(1007)の藤原道長による吉野・金峯山埋納金銅経筒の刻銘でも知られるように,いくつかの思想的背景が認められるものの,末法の世の到来に遭遇,釈尊の教えを説いた経典を,釈尊にかわって衆生済度することになる56億7000万年後の弥勒再生の暁まで地中に護持することを主眼としていた。経筒はそれらの埋経を被覆・保護するためのものであるが,その多くが宝塔に起因した多様な形姿にしつらえられたのは,釈尊一代の帰結ともいうべき経典を法舎利として崇め,仏塔安置の仏舎利と同一視する考え方に基づくからであろう。有鈕経筒の大半をなすこの種の宝珠鈕傘蓋経筒も,類品のなかには鏤刻した銘文に「宝塔」と明記するものも散見され,六角円堂を彷彿とさせる姿にも,宝塔を意識した造型であったことが看取される。

納入経の名は詳らかではないが,堂々たる形姿や内部の痕跡から,法華経一部八巻,あるいは法華経一部に開・結二経を加えた全十巻を納めていた可能性が高い。

後世,一部に古色を施しているが,総体は鮮やかな緑青錆に覆われた形姿良好な優品である。(河田)

Catalogue Entry

Late Heian period, 12th century
Cast bronze with lid
Height, 28.4cm; lid diameter, 12.4cm

The domed, umbrella-shaped lid with jewel-shaped knob is fitted on a cylindrical container, both forming a bronze sutra container. The lid has an attachment device on its underside to adhere it to the mouth edge of the cylinder, and the lid is hexagonal in shape. The 6 points of the hexagon are each pierced, and it is likely that these holes would have been used originally to support yoraku decorative jewel strings.
The cylinder itself is banded at mouth and base by 2 rows of protruding bands which add variation to the otherwise plain form. The cylinder is fitted with a single-cast base which gives an overall stability to the sutra container form, and a separately cast underplate has been attached to the bottom of the cylinder form.

Other examples of cylindrical sutra containers fitted with hexagonal umbrella-shaped lids with jewel-shaped knobs include an Important Cultural Property excavated at the Homanzan sutra mound in Dazaifu, Fukuoka prefecture, and similar examples have been excavated at the Shiten'nojisan sutra mound and are inscribed with 1106 (Choji 3) dates. The present sutra container can be suggested to have a similar date, and given that this sutra container shares the forms and methods used in these dated examples, the present sutra container probably dates from the first half of the 12th century, the height of the sutra mound construction.

The burial of sutras in sutra mounds began in 1007 (Kanko 4) when Fujiwara no Michinaga had a gilt bronze sutra container inscribed upon its burial at the Kinpusen sutra mound in Yoshino. It is apparent that a variety of reasons lay behind the creation of these sutra mounds. Clearly these mounds were primarily an effort to preserve the sutras expounding the teachings of the Buddha through the millennia of the age of the last law, or Mappo, that was said to be going to continue until the rebirth of Miroku (Maitreya) would provide salvation for humanity. The sutra mounds were intended to promulgate and protect these sutras, and the majority of these were based on stupas, and hence were diverse in shape. These sutras which preserved the teachings or remains of the first Buddha were thus equated with the Buddhist relics which were preserved in Buddhist stupas. The great majority of the sutra containers with finial knobs were of this cylindrical type with umbrella-shaped lids and jewel-shaped knobs. Some of these sutra containers bear inscriptions which read hoto, and thus the 6-sided circular hall which is called a Rokkaku Endo can also be considered a form that was consciously created as a hoto.
While it is not certain which sutra was contained in this container, the large form of the cylinder and the traces which remain on its interior suggest that it was likely either a Lotus Sutra set of 8 scrolls, or the 8 scrolls of the Lotus Sutra combined with 2 additional scrolls of another sutra.

While a section of the original surface remains intact, the majority of the container is covered with a bluish-green patina and the overall form of this container is a superb example of its type. SK