Japanese inscription in medieval India
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Japanese Inscription, Kanheri Caves, Cave no. 90, Maharashtra, Late 13th century CE or later
Inscription records a devotional chant honoring the Lotus Sūtra and Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk and philosopher born in 1222 CE.
It was likely inscribed by a Japanese pilgrim,… pic.twitter.com/Ww2BUEl4W0
— Satavahana (@SatavahanasIN) February 8, 2026
The Lotus Sutra, on which Nichiren Buddhism is based, was composed in written form in an India language between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD. It was translated into Chinese by Dharmarakṣa's team already in 286 AD and reached Japan by the 6th century (traditionally 538 CE) from Korea.
Selected readings
- "Ace love" (4/4/24) — see the next-to-last comment
- "The Development of Soka Gakkai in India"
- "Nichiren (1222–1282)"
[Thanks to Geoff Wade]
anon said,
February 9, 2026 @ 10:29 am
Where's the source for this information? Need someone to verify. If the inscription was written in classical Chinese, then it could be a Daxia (Tangut), Da Jin (Jin dynasty), Song dynasty from China, Korean from Koryo, Dali from Yunnan, Viet from Ly dynasty. Notice most of these states had strong Buddhist belief, used Chinese characters as medium of writing and closer proximity to India than Japan.
Taegyung said,
February 9, 2026 @ 2:12 pm
As far as I know, "日蓮大菩薩" was venerated exclusively in Japan.
Lucas Christopoulos said,
February 9, 2026 @ 5:11 pm
That calligraphy was supposedly made by Nichiren himself and was (is) kept exclusively among the followers of his sect. They repeat it many times during prayer and ceremonial practices.
jhh said,
February 9, 2026 @ 5:21 pm
How was that calligraphy copied/inscribed? Copying a good copy of that very recognizable calligraphy isn't just the graffiti of a tourist! It looks like a carefully executed bit of craftsmanship.
Jonathan Smith said,
February 9, 2026 @ 11:20 pm
Surely Nichiren himself did not sign off "revere the great bodhisattva Nichiren"?
Lucas Christopoulos said,
February 10, 2026 @ 3:51 am
It appears that this carving belongs to a later period, since the original sculptural program at Kanheri dates from the 1st century BCE to the 10th century CE; it may reflect a modern Nichiren-related intervention rather than the ancient Buddhist phases of the site.
John Swindle said,
February 10, 2026 @ 5:46 am
Someone carved "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" ("Homage to the Lotus Sutra"), a phrase popularized by Nichiren and absolutely central to the sect he founded, on the wall of a cave in India in Literary Chinese in a recognizable copy of Nichiren's own calligraphy and added "Homage to the Great Bodhisattva Nichiren." We are told that this was likely done "by a Japanese pilgrim, one of Nichiren's followers" in the "[l]ate 13th century CE or later." Well, of course it was, if we lean on the "or later."
AG said,
February 10, 2026 @ 6:16 am
Am I seeing this wrong, or is that carving in bas-relief? wouldn't that imply a much more complicated project than graffiti by a pilgrim?
did japanese pilgrims in the 1200s have the technology, time, money, and luggage space to casually whip out bas-relief carving equipment that could make an exact copy of nichiren's calligraphy?
Lucas Christopoulos said,
February 10, 2026 @ 6:34 am
I guess possibly sponsored by the Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG)?
Stephen Goranson said,
February 10, 2026 @ 10:42 am
Photographs, depending on lighting and printing (?), sometimes make a carved inscription look like a bas relief.
If the rubbing was made with black, as seems to me, then the white spaces were cut or incused or impressed or removed.