| Description | The printed edition produced under the reign of the Emperor Yongle (永樂 1402-1424) is the first made in Peking. This edition is dated from 1410 and contains 105 volumes plus one index (dkar chag). It was used as source for the production of the following editions printed in Peking (Wanli 1606, Peking 1684-92, Peking 1700, Peking 1717- 20, Peking 1737, Peking 1765), but also for the manuscript Kanjur of Berlin.
Little is know how this edition was prepared. Zhū dì (朱棣) who became 1402 the emperor Yongle, let come to Beijing in 1401 a manuscript copy from the Tibetan Kanjur. Using this copy as master copy, xylographic plates were engraved and new sets of Kanjur were printed. The work was finished in 1410.
The Yongle edition shows a structure close to the contemporary manuscripts (see pictures below): a thin vertical line (left and right) forms the border for the eight lines text. At the left hand side of the rectos this vertical line separates the Tibetan marginals from the text. At the right hand side of both recto and verso the vertical line keeps the Chinese marginals aside.
There are presently two set almost complete in Lhasa. The first set was given in 1414 by the Emperor Yongle to Chos rje kun dga’ bkras shis (1349-1425) head of the Lha khang branch of the Sa skya pa. This set originally preserved in the Sa skya Monsatery is now kept in the Potala. A second set was offered in 1416 to Byams chen chos rjes sakya ye shes (1352/54-1435) founder of the Se ra monastery.
In 1940 there was also a set of this Kanjur in the Dawenshu Temple (大文殊殿) at the Wutai-Shan (五台山) , but there are no up to date information concerning this set. |
