Cylindrical Sutra Container

In addition to memorizing and reciting sutras, sutra copying was a way for Buddhist devotees to accrue merit. A completed sutra would be tucked into sutra container like this one to be offered and buried in a sutra mound. The container is made to resemble a pagoda, topped with a finial called a sōrin and a wish granting jewel-shaped knob. Small birds perch along the edge of the cover. It is unknown what kind of sutra was stored in this container, but an inscribed date on the body indicates that it was made or buried in 1127.