National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

Since the faces are drawn only in contours with sumi (hakubyo) on the paper and lack eyes and noses, this scroll is commonly called the Menashi Sutra (Sutra Without Eyes). Other parts of the sutra are possessed by Shinkoin in Kyoto (Konkomyo Sutra) and Daitokyu Memorial Library (Hannya Rishu Sutra) and their postscripts say that they were transcribed in 1192 and 1193 respectively. In March 1192, ex-Emperor Goshirakawa passed away and ladies-in-waiting conducted a memorial service for the repose of his soul. This sutra copy was created at the time. In his lifetime, ex-Emperor Goshirakawa initiated the creation of picture scrolls. After his death, the unfinished painting manuscripts were used as paper on which to copy the sutra. This fragment is part of the copy and a rare example of Soshokukyo (a decorated sutra).