Printing of Haeinsa’s Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks and the Avatamsaka Sutra:The Case of the Avataṃsaka Sutra (Jin edition) Vol. 53 Owned by Busoam Hermitage in Namhae

A rare and previously unrecognized woodblock print of the Avatamsaka Sutra (Jin edition), Volume 53, has been identified among the collections of Busoam Hermitage in Namhae, South Korea. This discovery provides new evidence that Haeinsa Temple had the resources and expertise to produce Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks as early as 1098, predating the official 1236 national project. The study employed codicological analysis—comparing script styles (書體), sequence (函次), and carver names (刻手名)—to establish that this volume shares identical characteristics with one of Haeinsa's four extant Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks, confirming its authenticity and rarity. This finding underscores the need to re-evaluate Haeinsa's classification system for these texts and highlights the print's potential as a source text for future restoration efforts.

Han, H.-i. (2022). Printing of Haeinsa’s Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks and the Avatamsaka Sutra:The Case of the Avataṃsaka Sutra (Jin edition) Vol. 53 Owned by Busoam Hermitage in Namhae. Journal of Eastern-Asia Buddhism and Culture, 54, 31–55. https://doi.org/10.21718/eabc.2022.54.02