Kumarajiva's translation of the Lotus Sutra was widely read in China, Korea and Japan, resulting in the production of abundant art works related to the Sutra. In the present article in Nos. 325 and 326 of this journal the author intends to study the frontispiece illustrations of the Sung and Yüan printed versions of the Lotus Sutra, and their influence on the Korean and Japanese Lotus Sutra illuminations. Several Sung printed versions of the Lotus Sutra with frontispieces are known. They can be roughly classified into two: those with miniature-character seven fascicles in one volume, and those with seven fascicles written in normal large-size characters in seven volumes. Two kinds of miniature-character printed versions are known. One is owned by the Unryūin Temple in Kyoto, whose frontispiece has a small inscription which reads “Carved by LÜ Pin 呂斌刀.” Judging from this as well as other names of the block carvers in text portions, this version can be dated to the late Shao-hsing Era (ca. 1160) in the early Southern Sung Period. The frontispiece depicts none of the parables in the Lotus Sutra. The other miniature-character version has an inscription saying “Carved by CH’ÊN Kao of Ssŭ ming 四明陳高刀” in the frontispiece. Examples of this version are in the Denkōji and the Hannyaji in Nara, the Zentsūji in Kagawa, the Hokokuji in Ehime, and the Library of Congress in the United States. The carvers' names in this version bespeak that it was published also at the end of the Shao hsing Era in the early Southern Sung. As for frontispiece, parables from the twenty-eight chapters which would appeal to the public are included. The author goes on to expound four kinds of seven-fascicle, seven-volume versions with frontis pieces. The first is the Sung large-character version in the Palace Museum, Taipei. The second version seven volumes. is owned by the Rikkyokuan in Kyoto. These two versions, though printed with different blocks, are identical in the composition and the selection of themes. Both portray the major narrative scenes from each chapter. The names of the carvers suggest that they both were printed around the end of the Shao-hsing Era in the Southern Sung. The third Sung printed large-character version is also in the Palace Museum, Taipei. Only the first volume of the set has a frontispiece, which differs from those of the above mentioned versions. In this frontispiece are the great assembly in the centre, episodes of the life of Buddha-from the time of his birth till his ascetic practice-on the right, and on the left, some scenes pertaining to the teachings in the fifth volume. The author presumes that this frontispiece originally embellished the fifth volume. The fourth is the version whose Vol. 7 was found inside the sculptured portrait of Priest Eison at the Saidaiji in Nara. Depicted solely in the frontispiece are the great assembly, gathered to listen to the Buddha's preaching, accompanied by no other narrative scenes. As for the Yüan printed versions of the Lotus Sutra with frontispieces, there are six sets in the Palace Museum, Taipei. All consist of seven fascicles in seven volumes. One of them bears a colophon which records that it was first printed in the second year of the Chih-shun Era (1331) and reprinted in the sixth year of the Chih-chêng Era (1346) of the Yüan Period. Four others of the versions, though lacking colophons, have identical themes with the first one. The frontispieces of the sixth one are close in the composition and style to certain Sung printed versions. The frontispieces of the former group are based on the Sung printed version. They are of high artistic value due to the superb carving, with minutely rendered figures of Buddha, bodhisattvas and humans, as well as trees and other elements of nature. The Sung and Yüan type of printed Lotus Sutra frontispiece was succeeded onto the frontispieces of the indigo paper Lotus Sutra painted in gold and silver. The Lotus Suts
