A kokerakyo, also called a “sotoba” or “kyogi,” is a bundle of thin wooden board pieces onto which Buddhist scriptures are copied. Among the Buddhist scriptures, the Lotus Sutra was copied most often, and this was popular among nobles and others from the Heian period (794-1185).

Kokerakyo are generally discovered in excavations all over Japan and in the interiors of Buddhist statues, but they are not in their original states in most cases, with most found unbundled as separate wooden pieces. However, the kokerakyo of Jigen-in Temple was discovered in the bundled state.

This kokerakyo is thought to have been produced in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), as each of the wooden pieces, which were made by splitting and grafting, are narrow and Buddhist scriptures are written on both of their sides.