Two half-page woodcut illustrations of Śākyamuni and Avalokiteśvara. Woodblock-printed. [1] (lacking title), 48 folding leaves, red edges. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers (frayed & rubbed), knot-bound with waxed cords. [Hà Nội: Xiển Pháp tự 闡法寺, 1898].

The most popular of Vietnamese apocryphal Buddhist scriptures, the Avalokiteśvara Scripture of Five Hundred Names emblematizes the popularity of Avalokiteśvara (V. Quan thế âm; Ch. Guan shi yin) worship during the Nguyễn dynasty (1802-1945). Early printed copies of this work are very rare: we find no copies outside of Vietnam.

“The total number of apocryphal Buddhist scriptures from Vietnam has not been fully calculated. Among... More

Trans. by Xuanzang 玄奘 in 650 CE. 70 pages, six columns per page, 30 columns per sheet, 17 characters per column. 14 sheets (average sheet length: 570 mm.), five pages per sheet. Accordion format (305 x 7980 mm., print surface from top border to bottom border: 245–250 mm.). Single woodcut borders at top & bottom of text. Orig. sutra binding of semi-stiff paper wrappers. Woodblocks carved by Ge Fang & Ma Qing (& others) in Sixi (present day Huzhou), printed between 1110s/40s–1276.

This fascicle, in its original sutra binding, was printed in the 12th or 13th century in northern Zhejiang... More

32 fine full-page woodcuts. 42 folding leaves. Large 8vo, orig. blue wrappers (wrappers rather rubbed, minor soiling), modern manuscript label on upper cover, new stitching. [Japan]: from the Japanese colophon on the penultimate leaf: “Nakano Zesui had the woodblocks carved & published this book mid-July 1655.”

First edition to be published in Japan, printed in Chinese with Japanese reading marks. Yongming Yanshou (J.: Eimei (or Yomei) Enju, 904-75), was a Chan master who had a profound impact on the development of Buddhism in East Asia. Yanshou was a widely influential proponent of a scripture-based Chan, in opposition to the rhetorical... More

Woodblock-printed. Two half-page woodcut illus. of the Buddha & Skanda/Weituo. [3], 80 folding leaves. 8vo, old paper wrappers, old stitching. Taiwan fucheng 台灣府城: Dehua tang 德化堂, 1856.

An unusual edition of the Diamond Sutra, reprinted in 1856 from the now lost 1688 first edition. Taiwanese woodblock-printed books that predate the administrative expansion of the 1870s and the Japanese invasion in 1895 are very rare: we find only a handful of such titles in WorldCat. This title, in particular, has only one copy listed, held at the National Central Library in Taiwan (OCLC accession no. 1478321371).

According to the colophon in... More

Scroll on paper (330 x 4680 mm.), with seven scenes in brush & ink and color washes, gold-flecked endpapers, gold-flecked borders throughout, silk brocade on outside of endpapers, silver-flecked paper on verso of scroll, wooden core roller. [Japan: late Edo].

A remarkable erotic scroll depicting the visit of a group of traveling Buddhist priests to a roadside inn, where they have much and varied sex with each other and the inn’s female employees, who supplemented their incomes as prostitutes. There are seven scenes:

1. The first scene depicts two young Buddhist priests, one a younger assistant, with walking sticks. They... More

65 full-page & four double-page woodcuts. 32; 57; 53; 59 folding leaves. Four vols. 8vo, orig. gray wrappers (wrappers a little tired), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Kyoto: Sawada Kichizaemon 澤田吉左衞門, 1703.

Rare edition of this guide to a famous Japanese Pure Land mandala. In the Preface to our book, dated 1702 (Genroku 15), Gizan recounts how his old friend, the lay believer Mujin 無塵, who had obtained a supreme paint powder in nine shades as a gift from the deity Kuma no gongen 熊野権現 when a rock split next to his house, wanted... More

9; 6 folding leaves. Two parts in one. Small folio (365 x 256 mm.), orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [Ch’angnyeŏng] 昌寧: [1734].

First edition, and rare, of the History of Guwanryongsa Temple, with a unique laid-in manuscript “Sangryangmun” composed on the occasion of the temple’s 1821 renovation.

“The History of the Changnyeong Gwagryongsa Temple records the entire history of the construction and renovation of the Gwanryongsa Temple…containing detailed descriptions of the origins and history of Gwanryongsa Temple, one of the eight major temples of Silla. The main text was written by Shin Yu-han 申維翰 (1681–?), the governor of Pyeonghae County, in... More

Numerous full-page woodcut illus. Five vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers with the orig. title-slips (wrappers a little scuffed), old stitching. Osaka: Fujiya zenshichi 藤屋善七, [mid- to late Edo period].

An early edition of this work on famous Buddhist temples throughout Japan. In total, around 60 temples are covered. For every temple, there is a history of its founding and related lore, along with illustrations.

Several of the most famous temples of Japan are described. For example, the book discusses the True Pure Land temple Kōgen-ji 向原寺 in Nara prefecture; Tennō-ji 天王寺 in Osaka; Gangō-ji 元興寺, Saidai-ji 西大寺, Tōdai-ji... More

Two beautifully painted handscrolls on paper (I: 280 x 12,395; II: 280 x 13,290 mm.). [Japan]: 1840 (date of colophon).

It is difficult to overstate the great beauty of these two illustrated scrolls depicting the life of Shinran, a key figure in Japanese Buddhism. The artist, while anonymous, was extremely skilled in portraying scenes from Shinran’s life, employing large amounts of gold, silver, sprays of golden mist (called kindei “golden mud”) to depict clouds, and thick pigments to give 3-D effects. The images show architectural details; complex garden landscapes; the different seasons signalled by colorful flora; richly detailed... More

Manuscript on paper, in scroll format. Ten hand-colored illus. & several smaller black-ink illus. Scroll (310 x 7000 mm.). [Japan]: [Kamakura period, ca. 13th century].

A scroll with an inventory of the Buddhas of the Maṇḍala of the Two Realms, the Diamond Realm and the Womb Realm. These two maṇḍalas are of great importance in the esoteric Buddhist sects in Japan. They flourished initially in the Heian period. The maṇḍala of the Diamond Realm “ultimately demonstrates that the universe as a whole is coextensive with the body of the Dharmakāya or cosmic buddha, Mahāvairocana,” whereas the central five... More

One single-page & one double-page woodcut. [2], 3, 2, 4, 51 folding leaves. Woodblock-printed. One kwŏn in one volume. Small folio (334 x 220 mm.), orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers (with handwritten title as usual), new stitching. [Chuwangsan, Korea]: Taejŏnsa Temple, 1685.

Early and rare Korean woodblock edition of the Lotus Sutra, with the Preface by Daoxuan 道宣 (596-667) and line commentaries by Jiehuan 戒環 (fl. 1127) a Song-dynasty Chan monk. The woodblocks were carved in 1685 at the Taejŏnsa Temple, said to have been first constructed in the 7th century; it was destroyed during the Imjin War (1592) and subsequently... More

Two double-page woodcuts. Woodblock-printed. 62 folding leaves (plus one leaf, 32, in duplicate). Large 8vo (317 x 213 mm.), orig. semi-stiff wrappers, new stitching. Yongjan-sa Temple: 1635.

A very rare and early illustrated Korean edition of the Lotus Sutra, published in 1635. The woodblock of the final page with the imprint appears to have slid during printing and the text is unclear (but the date is clear). We believe it says that it was printed by Yongjan-sa 龍藏寺 temple, which would mean that the place of publication is today’s Jindo County in South Chŏlla province, South Korea. We... More