"Universal Gateway," Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra. Artist: Calligrapher: Sugawara Mitsushige (Japanese, active mid- 13th century). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Overall with mounting: 9 11/16 in. × 30 ft. 8 1/16 in. (24.6 × 934.9 cm). Date: dated 1257.One of the masterworks of the Met's Buddhist painting collection, this handscroll is the earliest known painted version of the twenty-fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which is known as the "Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds." The text of the sutra is interspersed with thirty-four colorful images that celebrate the merciful acts of the bodhisattva Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara).According to the inscription, this work was modeled after a Chinese printed book of 1208, which in turn was based on an earlier painted handscroll. The anonymous artist transforms the Chinese original through the inclusion of indigenous yamato-e (traditional Japanese painting style) elements, especially in the landscapes. Mus