Minneapolis Institute of Art
Sutra Container
JapanLinkedCulture matchlcp-9cfc54f21d2c
- Date
- 12th century
- Medium
- Bronze
- Department
- Asian Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 2538
From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record
As early as the ninth century, the Japanese began to bury sutras (Buddhist sacred texts). Scrolls were put into bronze or ceramic containers and placed within small stone chambers over which earth was heaped. This practice arose in response to belief in mappō, or the decline of the Buddhist Law, which was calculated to commence in 1052. During mappō, the world would be chaotic and people would be incapable of following the Buddha's teaching until the arrival of Miroku, the Buddha of the Future. Sutras were buried to preserve the sacred scriptures until Miroku arrived. Asia
The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Miles Q. Fiterman 78.22.1 Gift of Funds of the Maslon Foundation
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.