One of Six Sheets of Paper (some double-sided) inscribed with Religious Texts, Poems, Charms

These sheets of paper bear short vows, poems, and sections of the Lotus Sutra; some have signatures on the reverse. One vow is signed by the nun Kangyō, whose name also appears at the end of a series of three prayers displayed nearby (2019.122.11). Here her name is accompanied by those of four men, all with noble ranks, who declare their shared commitment to the Buddha path. Kangyō may have been central to the commission of the sculpture, and perhaps enlisted the financial backing of these courtiers for the project. An anonymous writer copied half of a well-known classical waka poem onto the sheet at the top of the board: I have come to know The true meaning of spring: When the blooms are bursting, There are none with quiet hearts! The writer omits the final line, creating a permanent and poignant connection between the incomplete version interred within the sacred sculpture and the writer within whom the unwritten line remains.