Akao Eikei 赤尾栄慶
(Kyoto National Museum, Head of Department of Exhibitions and Education;
Kyoto University, Postgraduate School, Visiting Professor)
A Codicological Examination of the Manuscript of the Mohe zhiguan, Scroll
I, in the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies Collection
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The Mohe zhiguan 摩訶止觀 or The Great Tranquillity and Insight in ten
scrolls 十巻 represents a series of oral expositions by the Great Tiantai
Master Zhiyi 天台大師智顗 (538-597) during the summer retreat of 594 (year 14
of the Kaihunag era 開皇十四年) at the Yuquan Temple 玉泉寺 in the province of
Xingzhou 荊州. The text was written down and edited by Zhang’an Guanding
章安灌頂 (560-632), one of Zhiyi’s disciples. The Mohe zhiguan is divided into
ten chapters, i.e. Dayi 大意, Shiming 釋名, Tixiang 體相, Shefa 攝法, Pianyuan
偏圓, Fangbian 方便, Zheng(xiuzhi)guan 正（修止）觀, Guobao 果報, Qijiao 起教, and Zhigui
旨歸. It sets forth the meditative path of the Tiantai 天台 school, being one
of the masterpieces of Buddhist literature dedicated to spiritual cultivation.
Together with Zhiyi’s Fahua xian yi 法華玄義 (ten scrolls) and the Fahua wen
ju 法華文句 (ten scrolls), the treatise is counted as one of the ‘Three Great
Tiantai Scriptures’ 天台三大部.
The Mohe zhiguan was first brought to Japan by Zhenjian 鑑眞 in the Nara
period. Saichō 最澄, the founder of the Japanese Tendai school, appears to
have known and copied the text before his journey to China. We also know
that Saichō brought a copy of the Mohe zhiguan upon his return to Japan.
However, neither Jianzhen’s manuscript nor Saichō’s copy survive. The oldest
extant manuscript appears to be Scroll I of the text belonging to the collection
of the International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies.
The manuscript, which contains Section Fa daxin 發大心 of Chapter One,
i.e. Dayi, is written on pure kōzo 楮 traditional paper made by hand beating.
It consists of 21 folios each measuring about 47.3 cm in length. The calligraphic
style is regular 楷書 at the beginning of the manuscript and then turns into
cursive style 行書. The Chinese characters are beautifully written with thin
strokes. The manuscript shows palaeographic features characteristic of
the mid-Heian period.
Another noteworthy feature is the usage of the kana 假名 syllabary and
wo-koto ten ヲコト點 marks written in red, white and green as well as the kana
in black ink. According to Tsukishima Yu’s 築島裕 Heian jidai kunten hon ronkō:
kana jitaihyō, wo-ko-to-ten zuhyō 平安時代訓點本論考 假名字體表・ヲコト點圖表, such kunten 訓點
notations consisting of kana and wo-koto ten in red, white and green represent
the so-called Group Five of Graphic Devices 第五群点 and is typical of the
Chōhō era 長保 (999-1004). The kana syllabary in black ink seems to have
been added during the Insei age 院政期 of late Heian period.
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