Myobeobyeonhwagyeong Gwon3(2025)

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.2305

Category

Books & Records

Era

1450년 (조선 세종 32)

Designated year

2025

Location

달서구, 대구광역시— 대구광역시 달서구 달구벌대로 1095(신당동, 계명대학교) 계명대학교동산도서관

Coordinates

35.855906, 128.484579Kakao address conversion

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

The Lotus Sutra, known in abbreviated form as the 'Dharma Flower Sutra,' is the foundational scripture of the Tiantai school and, alongside the Avatamsaka Sutra, profoundly influenced the establishment of Korean Buddhist thought. The 'Lotus Sutra, Volume 3' housed in Keimyung University's Dongsan Library is one volume of the third scroll from a seven-volume set translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva and annotated by Song Dynasty Buddhist monk Jiehuang. Among surviving metal-type editions of the 'Lotus Sutra,' three versions exist: the 1450 initial-casting Gapinja type, the 1455 Eulhaeja type, and the 1457 Gapinja type. The designated artifact represents the earliest of these editions. This volume was produced in 1450 (Sejong 32) under royal order at the behest of Prince Anpyeong, Prince Geumseong, and Ho Cho Sawang Yi Myeong-min, printed with the initial-casting Gapinja type created at the Royal Printing Office in 1434 on Japanese paper manufactured in Joseon. Although thirty-three copies were printed, surviving copies are limited, and the Keimyung University copy remains the unique surviving example of this particular scroll. The designated artifact contains three of the Lotus Sutra's twenty-eight chapters: Chapter 5, 'The Parable of Medicinal Herbs,' Chapter 6, 'Bestowal of Prediction,' and Chapter 7, 'The Parable of the Phantom City.' The cover employs indigo-dyed paper while maintaining its original title tag, serving as important material for understanding 15th-century royal printing practices. Additionally, annotations in Korean phonetic script and grammatical markers throughout the text enhance the artifact's documentary value. The 'Lotus Sutra, Volume 3' from Keimyung University's Dongsan Library possesses significance as a resource for print history, papermaking history, and Korean linguistics studies.

Location