New Compilation of the Text to the Play About Mulian Rescuing His Mother and Exhorting Her to Goodness, 3 juan

Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Wanli period (1573–1619)

Compiled by Zheng Zhizhen (1518–1595); proofread by Ye Zongtai; engraved by Huang Ting, Huang Bang (b. 1545), et al.

Xin’an, Anhui Province: Zheng shi Gaoshi shanfang, 1582

10 columns per half folio; 24 characters per column; small characters in half columns; 24 characters per half column; white folding margin at center of folio with single white “fishtail”; single-line borders; overall dimensions of volumes: 25.8 x 16.7 cm; block sizes of text: approx. 20.2 x 13.4 cm; stitched binding

Inventory number: 12430

Mulian (Maudgalyayana in Sanskrit) was one of the ten disciples of the Sakyamuni Buddha and a key figure in Chinese Buddhist storytelling.  In one account his mother apparently became "addicted" to meat and was condemned to hell as a starving ghost.  Her subsequent rescue by Mulian is portrayed as a model of compassion.  The story, later transformed into a play, is derived in part from the Foshuo Yulan pen jing (Sutra of the Sacrificial Feast for Hungry Ghosts Spoken by the Buddha; Ullambana-sutra in Sanskrit).

This volume constitutes the earliest extant tai ben (stage scripts) for plays with the Mulian theme.  It was compiled by Zheng Zhizhen, a native of Huizhou, Anhui Province, and appeared in 1582 under the imprint of Zheng's own "Gaoshi shanfang" (Mountain Dwelling of the Lofty Rocks).  It contains 57 illustrations, which are early examples of the Huizhou woodblock engraving school, with lively and expressive figures as well as high contrast between black-ink and blank areas.