This work is a print of Buddhist images called syubutu or inbutsu. The print was originally placed in the internal cavity of a wooden standing statue of Bishamonten, considered a protector of the teachings of the Buddha. This particular Bishamonten was housed in a statue at the Yamato Nakagawa Temple, which prospered in the late Heian period as a branch of Kōfukuji Temple in Nara. The print has seven Bishamonten impressions, four on the upper part of the page and three on the lower part, each approximately 17 centimeters tall. They stand on bases made of rocks, with swords in their right hands and miniature stupas on their left palms. An annotation on the back of the print dates it to the year 1162, making this the oldest extant print of Buddhist images bearing the year of production. The work is also an important document for the study of print culture in the Heian period (794-1185) and the Kamakura period (1192–1333).(en)
装丁 : 和装, 掛物, Scroll, Binding: Japanese-style Binding, Print of Buddha (4 blocks at the top, 3 blocks at the bottom), 本紙の大きさ: 36.8×30.5cm, 書名は箱書きによる, 『Catalog of the National Diet Library’s Rare Book Collection』 Volume 1, 『国立国会図書館所蔵貴重書解題』第1巻, 「Offering made on □□, March 7, Year of Imo (壬午), Ōhō 2」 recorded in reverse side, Titled based on signature on document chest, 印仏 (上段4体, 下段3体), 紙背に「應保二年壬午三月七日□□日□供養□」の識語あり, Main Text Sheet Size: 36.8×30.5cm
