Sutra tube - Kyozutsu

A cylindrical container for storing paper copies of Buddhist scriptures. Most are made of bronze, but there are also iron, ceramic, and stone products. In addition to circular, hexagonal, and octagonal cylindrical shapes, pagoda and hodo shapes are also seen. Rectangular box-shaped ones are called sutra boxes. Bronze ones are made of hammered copper sheet and include some that are gilded and some that are not, as well as cast items. Iron ones are cast items, ceramic ones include porcelain and blue-and-white porcelain, and stone ones made from talc and wax stone. In terms of size, those from the Heian period are taller than examples from later periods, while those from the Kamakura period are generally chunky.

In the Muromachi period, they became smaller. Many of these sutra tubes have inscriptions such as the purpose of burying the sutra, the name of the buried sutra, the date, and the name of the person who made the request.

[Shuichi Sakazume]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏教経典の紙本(しほん)写経を納める筒形の容器。青銅製品が多いが、鉄、陶磁、石製品も存在する。形態は、円、六角、八角筒形のほか、宝塔、宝幢(ほうどう)形もみられる。長方形の箱形のものは経箱という。青銅製のものは銅板打物(うちもの)で鍍金(ときん)例のもの、鍍金のないものがあり、鋳造品もある。鉄製は鋳造品であり、陶磁器製には陶・青白磁品、石製品には滑石(かっせき)・ろう石製がみられる。大きさは、平安時代のものがそれ以降の例品に対して高く、鎌倉時代のものは全体としてずんぐりしている。

　そして室町時代になると小形になってくる。これらの経筒には、埋経の趣旨、埋納経典の名、年月日、願主名などが記されている例が多い。

［坂詰秀一］

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