Death register (kakocho)

Description:: Death register (kakocho), written in gold on blue-dyed paper with inset paintings on silk, created in Japan in the 17th or 18th century. This concertina album comprises the main part of a death register or kakocho of the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist tradition. Following historic division, further folios are preserved separately in the collection (CBL J 1049.1-4; 29-48) The register is divided into thirty days, each presided over by a Buddha or Bodhisattva (awakened being). The names of the dead were recorded by date so prayers could be offered on their anniversary. An attached note suggests an association to a daughter of Iwakura Dainagon. Dainagon is a court title, and may refer to Iwakura Tomomi (1825-1883). The majority of the names written into the manuscript have since been erased, leaving only traces of gold. This section of the manuscript includes the Buddhas of days 3 (Tahō Butsu) to 15 (Amida Butsu), and an image of the death of the Historical Buddha (Nehan-zu).

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