Publication in which Jan-Ulrich Sobisch is involved has been honored with the Toshihide Numata Book Award 2024
The chapter “Dorje Sherap's Great Commentary on the Single Intention” contributed by Sobisch deals with the manuscript from the 13th century that he found in the Musée Guymet archive in Paris. Among other things, he was able to use the text to show that certain features of individual letters in the cursive Tibetan script can generally be used to identify different scribes in a text. In this specific case, Sobisch was able to identify two scribes who must have alternated approximately every 42-44 pages, and a third who replaced some missing pages.
The award winner and editor Prof. Matthew T. Kapstein (Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School and Director of Tibetan Studies at the École pratique des hautes études) worked with an international team of specialists, including Sobisch, on the award-winning title. The work offers a comprehensive introduction to the material and aesthetic characteristics of Tibetan manuscripts and early prints. The two volumes shed light on the long history of Tibetan books, their production, written forms and the tradition of woodblock printing. With numerous illustrations and detailed explanations, the book is an indispensable reference work for anyone interested in the book culture of Asia. The two volumes were published simultaneously in 2024.
The Toshihide Numata Book Award is presented annually by the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. The award honors outstanding books in the field of Buddhist studies and is presented by an external jury. The jury praised “Tibetan Manuscripts and Early Printed Books” for the depth and breadth of its research as well as its high-quality production and illustrated design. The prize will be awarded to Prof. Kapstein on November 1, 2024 in Berkeley. The prize money was donated to the Serlo Monastery in East Nepal, which was completely destroyed by the severe earthquake in 2015.
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