Myohorengekyo (Lotus Sutra), Volumes 1-8

All eight volumes of this early-Heian (794-1185) copy of the Lotus Sutra (J., Hokekyô) are densely marked with red and white reading annotations, making these scrolls an invaluable source in understanding the development of the Japanese language. The early Japanese writing system man'yôgana has been used to represent the phonetic syllabary, and red ink was used to annotate Fahua wenju (J., Hokke mongu), the commentary by Chinese Tientai patriarch Zhiyi (J., Chigi) on the Lotus Sutra, which appears within the text. In addition to this, other comments can be seen within the text and on its obverse.

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