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Ardhasatika prajnaparamita Sutra, the First Tripitaka Koreana Edition, Volume 6

초조본 불설최상근본대락금강불공삼매대교왕경 권6 ( 初雕本 佛說最上根本大樂金剛不空三昧大敎王經 卷六 )

Heritage Search Detail
Classification National Treasure
Name of Cultural Properties Ardhasatika prajnaparamita Sutra, the First Tripitaka Koreana Edition, Volume 6
Quantity 1 Volume of 1 Bundle
Designated Date 1991.07.12
Age The 12th century (Goryeo)
Address Horim Museum, 53, Nambusunhwan-ro 152-gil, Gwanak-gu, Seoul

This is Book No. 6 among the seven books translated by Fa Xian of the Song Dynasty of China. It is a part of the Tripitaka Original, which was made during the reign of King Hyeonjong (1011~1031) of the Goryeo Period in an attempt to counter an aggression by Kitan on the strength of Buddha. This book is produced by woodblock printing on mulberry papers and designed to be stored in the form of a scroll. It is made by joining in a row 24 pieces of papers, each of which is 47.1cm long and 29.8cm wide. There are several differences between the Tripitaka Original and the Tripitaka at Haeinsa Temple (also known as the Tripitaka Second or the Tripitaka Koreana), which were produced later. The former has more sophisticatedly carved wood blocks than the latter. It has a different number of characters, while not showing the year of production. Respect is expressed by omitting a stroke from the letter or replacing it with a synonymous word when a letter in the name of the preceding king appears, and abbreviated characters are found in several places. In addition, the Tripitaka Original often uses the words 'jang (丈)' and 'pok (幅)' to indicate the chapters in the books, whereas the Haeinsa Temple version uses a uniform expression of 'jang (張)' (using a different Chinese character). The chapters in this book are expressed in terms of 'jang (丈)'. The year of production is indicated nowhere. The words are written with fourteen characters in 23 lines. All these imply that this book is a woodblock print of the Tripitaka Original made in the 12th century.