18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Washi papers discovered inside a 675-year-old Buddhist statue in Japan

The carved head of an ancient Buddhist statue hidden in the Myooin temple in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan, has revealed pages of traditional “washi” paper decorated with images of the revered religious figure.

Washi is a traditional Japanese paper. Washi paper has a history spanning over a millennium. It got worldwide recognition in 2014 when Washi paper was included among the oral and intangible heritages of humanity by UNESCO. It is known for being tear-resistant and translucent, with a pleasant texture. In Japanese culture, it was used for arts such as origami, shodō, calligraphy, and ukiyo-e. 

Myoo-in Temple has announced the results of an investigation into the paper found in the head of a Buddhist statue that is the principal image of the five-storied pagoda of Myoo-in Temple, a national treasure.

The discovery followed the dismantling of the Maitreya statue, designated as an important cultural asset by Hiroshima Prefecture, for repair work.

The wooden seated Maitreya statue kept at the five-tier pagoda of Myooin temple.

Three types of paper came out of the Buddha statue. Each piece of paper ink image has the three bodies of Shakyamuni Buddha, Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru), and Jizo Bosatsu (Kṣitigarbha). Images of the three figures made with seal stamps cover nearly every inch of space.

One consists of ten sheets of washi, each measuring 23 centimeters by 16 centimeters and tied together with paper string. Each washi is distinguished by numerous stamps with ink images of Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru, and Ksitigarbha standing next to each other.

Paper placed at the head of the statue. Photo: Fukuyama City

Another consists of a stack of smaller sheets of paper imprinted with Buddhist images. The third was a single piece of paper with a Buddhist pattern and some characters on it.

A representative from Fukuyama’s cultural promotion division stated that an ink image of Buddha frequently depicts a single figure that is stamped repeatedly. Three figures incorporated into a single seal at the same time is unusual.

A representative of Fukuyama’s cultural promotion division noted “The three represent the three worlds of the past, the present, and the future,” he added. “We still have much research to do.”

An ink image recovered from the hollowed out head of a religious statue shows Buddha, right, Bhaisajyaguru, center, and Ksitigarbha standing beside each other. They are all from the same single stamp. Photo: Fukuyama City
An ink image recovered from the hollowed out head of a religious statue shows Buddha, right, Bhaisajyaguru, center, and Ksitigarbha standing beside each other. They are all from the same single stamp. Photo: Fukuyama City

The Myoo-in Temple is said to have been founded in 807 by Kobo Daishi (774–835), also known as Kukai, a Japanese Buddhist monk, and calligrapher. Myooin’s five-storied pagoda (known as Jofukuji Temple until 1600) was built in 1384.

The wooden seated statue sculpture is the temple’s main point of worship. The temple, located in the Kusadocho district, is affiliated with the Shingon Buddhist sect.

Temple officials believe the seated statue was created around that time and delivered to Myooin to celebrate its completion in 1348. This raised expectations that the discovery would shed light on the circumstances surrounding the wooden pagoda’s construction 676 years ago.

Related Articles

A Glorious Temple, inside which Sacrifices Were Performed, was Found in the Sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia on Greek Island of Euboea

13 January 2024

13 January 2024

Archaeologists excavating at the Artemis Amarysia sanctuary in Amarynthos on the Greek island of Euboea have revealed new insight into...

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

22 November 2024

22 November 2024

Johns Hopkins University researchers uncovered evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history. The writing was etched onto finger-length...

Metal Detectorist Finds on 4,000-year-old Dagger in Poland Forests

24 February 2024

24 February 2024

A copper dagger more than 4,000 years old was found in a forest near the town of Jarosław on the...

4500-year-old tiger-patterned ritual weapon uncover in east China

4 April 2023

4 April 2023

Archaeologists discovered an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger...

In Lake Mendota, Wisconsin archaeologists discover the oldest canoe ever found in the Great Lakes region

23 September 2022

23 September 2022

A group of divers from Madison, Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota emerged on Thursday carrying a remarkable piece of history for the...

Ancient scrolls reveal astonishing information about the life of a Nabatean woman, who lived in the first century AD in Petra

18 December 2023

18 December 2023

Petra was the capital of a powerful trading empire two thousand years ago. It was established by the Nabateans, a...

High school student discovered a 1500-year-old ancient Magical Mirror

9 August 2023

9 August 2023

 A High school student discovered an ancient “magical mirror” meant to ward off the evil eye in an archaeological excavation...

The first Dutch Neanderthal’s ‘Krijn’ face was reconstructed

7 September 2021

7 September 2021

World-renowned “paleo-artists” Kennis brothers have reconstructed the face of the first Neanderthal in the Netherlands. After more than 50,000 years,...

8000-year-old with balcony architectural structure belonging to the Prehistoric period found in Anatolia

31 October 2021

31 October 2021

During the excavations in Domuztepe mound, it was revealed that an architectural structure thought to be 7-8 thousand years old...

14,000 years old vessels made by Hunter-gatherers in Japan

1 May 2022

1 May 2022

The Late Pleistocene inhabitants of Tanegashima Island were making pottery about 14,000 years ago. In the Jomon period, people obtained...

Anatolia’s first company was founded 4000 years ago with 15 kilos of gold!

26 May 2024

26 May 2024

A 4,000-year-old tablet found in Kültepe shows that the first company in Anatolia was established by 12 people with 15...

Excavations Near Stonehenge Uncover Bronze Age Barrow Cemetery

4 June 2023

4 June 2023

The Cotswold Archeology team excavating at the site of a planned housing development near Salisbury, England, has unearthed a giant...

New discoveries announced at Sanxingdui Ruins

20 March 2021

20 March 2021

Chinese archaeologists announced on Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui site in southwestern...

8000 years old fingerprint and ceramic production workshop found in İzmir Ulucak Mound

22 August 2022

22 August 2022

It was understood that the structure unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the 8850-year-old Ulucak Mound (Ulucak Höyük), the oldest...

1,400-year-old temple from the time of the East Anglian Kings discovered at Suffolk royal settlement

21 November 2023

21 November 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered a possibly pre-Christian temple from the time of the East Anglian Kings at Rendlesham, near Sutton Hoo...