- VIII

SC-1

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 21.2; Diametro: 10.4

Giappone

legno- tornitura

It is a small wooden pagoda known as Hyakumantō百万塔, literally "a million pagodas/ stūpa". The term stūpa indicates a Buddhist monument, originally from the Indian subcontinent, similar to a pagoda, whose main function is to preserve relics. This Hyakumantō comes from the series of one million pieces produced by the order of Empress Shōtoku in 764 and donated to the ten largest temples of that time. In the cylindrical cavity there are small, rolled sheets on which are printed some prayer formulas called dhāranī. This small object represents not only an interesting witness in the history of Buddhism, but also an important element for Japanese culture: these dhāranī are in fact considered the oldest printed plates texts still existing. Other musealised Hyakumantō can be found at the MET in New York and the British Museum in London.