National Treasure

Tale of Flowering Fortunes
栄花物語
Calligraphy & Books · Kamakura, 1201–1300Kyushu NM
Home › Browse › Architecture › Heian period › Stone banner depicting a thousand buddhas and numerous treasures



Carvings of buddhas, bodhisattvas, monks, flying deities, and the immortal creature Kalavinka cover the surface of this stone banner. It is also inscribed with Buddhist text that could be a mantra or a type of chant called dharani. The banner was erected in 1084 during the Liao dynasty (916–1125), which was established in northern China by the Khitan, nomads of Mongolian descent. Weighing a total of 3.5 tons, the height of this banner extends to 5.5 meters.
— Museum description: Kyushu National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.













