Collected Letters of Priest Saichō

{br=>[[]], content=>[Six letters of priest Saichō (767-822), Saichō's last will, and a written oath by Enchō (772-837), who was one of Saichō's disciples, were copied in this scroll. Five letters were addressed to Priest Kūkai, in which Saichō asked to lend him Buddhist scriptures and a book of Buddhist precepts. He also asked Kūkai to teach Buddhist ideas to his disciples. One letter was sent to one of Saichō's disciples, Taihan, in which Saichō recommended to receive the Kanjō baptism from Priest Kūkai at Takao-san-ji temple., This handscroll has a colophon dated March 18, 1289, which says that this volume was copied by Priest Ryūshō (1264-1314) of Daigo-ji temple. This is the second oldest copy of the \Collected Letters of Priest Saichō\. The oldest copy is the Ninna-ji temple version, which was copied in the late Heian period.]} {br=>[[], [], []], i=>[abhiṣeka, Collected Letters of Priest Saichō], content=>[This handscroll contains copies of six letters written by the Tendai patriarch Saichō (posthumous title Dengyō Daishi; 766 or 767–822), Saichō’s final testament, and a written vow by Enchō (772–837), who was one of Saichō’s disciples., Among Saichō’s six letters, five are addressed to the Shingon patriarch Kūkai (posthumous title Kōbō Daishi; 774–835) and ask for things like borrowing sutras and esoteric ritual protocols or giving lectures to his disciples.

The remaining letter is addressed to his beloved disciple Taihan (b. 778) and encourages him to receive , rites of initiation from Kūkai at Takaosanji Temple (now Jingoji Temple)., The colophon at the end of this copy reveals it was produced by Ryūshō (1264–1314), a priest at Daigoji Temple, on the 18th day of the 3rd month of Shōō 2 (April 9, 1289 [Julian calendar])., This work is the second oldest copy of , following the manuscript held by Ninnaji Temple, which was produced in the late Heian period (794–1185).]}

— Museum description: Nara National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.