Sumizuri-e

It is one of the earliest forms of Japanese woodblock printing, dating back to the Nara period (710 – 794).

These Pagodas were religious works commissioned by the Empress Shōtoku to be distributed to Japan's ten major temples.

[1] The miniature wooden pagodas were made to honor the Buddhist deities and thank them for holding back the Emi Rebellion of 764.

[2] Historians believe this is the oldest example of sumizuri-e printmaking, but due to their religious importance, it is antagonistic to remove and study all of the sutra scrolls.

As the printmaking movement developed, artists began painting the sumizuri-e prints by hand to color in the images (kappazuri-e).