Sanskrit Manuscripts from Japan, Volume 1

This volume is the first of the series of facsimile editions of Sanskrit manuscripts from Japan, ranging from the seventh century onwards. Japanese denomination of Shingon (Mantrayana) has held Sanskrit mantras as crucial in meditation. They have been trans-created as hieronyms (bija) in the artistic calligraphy of Siddham, like the Vedic dhimahi in the serenity of the silence of sumi ink. Thirty-two scrolls have been reproduced in this work from the collection of the Kokiji monastery which is devoted to the worship of Guhya Sarasvati. They are from the stupendous collection of Venerable Jiun Sonja (1718-1804) who conducted a survey of all Sanskrit scrolls, both on palm leaf and on paper, from monasteries all over Japan. He copied 300 scrolls over 30 years, with Sanskrit hymns dancing in the ripples of his mind. Besides mantras in the rituals of Buddhist deities, there is a scroll of invocation to Maha Ganapati. The trinity of Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara commence hymn to Sri Mahadevi, the great Goddess of Prosperity. The Tathagatosnisa-Sitatapatra-Aparajita pratyangira-dharani to the Goddess of Invincible Victory. The 108 epithets of Sahasrapatra Manjusri are for the eradication of all calamities and for the vanquishment of enemies. Prof. Nirmala Sharma details the history of Sanskrit manuscripts in Japan from the Usnisavijaya-dharani of 604 AD down to Jiun Sonja's mega-project of collecting all Sanskrit manuscripts at Kokiji in the 18th century, who used to say: "those of superior ability should read only Sanskrit texts". This volume opens a new dimension in the cultural interflow between India and Japan and in the syncretism of different traditions. The echos of these hymns herald the emerging paradigms of shared global valorization.