国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

fine dust carried up by the wind from the deserts that has clothed their slopes with their thick
layers of fertile loess.

But the openness of the great valley before us and the gentle slopes of the range bordering it Highway
on the south suggested thoughts in historical retrospect also. It was clear that Nature had created from
here a true highway, passable with ease for a great portion of the year, between the Tibetan marches Tibetan
of China and the oases along the northern foot of the Nan-shan. For cart traffic, such as the Chinese marches.
have always shown a civilized preference for, it has not been open in the past. But there can be
little doubt that whenever Tibetan invasion reached Kan-su this direct and easy route from the
Huang-ho and Hsi-ning must have played an important part in the campaigns that severed from
China its Central-Asian dominions.

Where the narrow nullah descending from the pass debouches into the open Pāmīr-like valley, Halt at
lies the large but half-deserted fort of O-po (Fig. 278), at an elevation of about 11,500 feet. A small O-po.
detachment placed in it is intended to guard the route from Hsi-ning against nomadic Tanguts and
others who visit the high valleys around. The place looked doubly desolate under a rainy sky,
and there would have been no reason for us to make a day's halt outside its ruinous walls had not
the passive obstruction attempted by the majority of our Chinese pony-men, who refused to move
away from the ta-lu, obliged me to secure the assistance of the commander of the fort. Fortunately
he proved an intelligent native of Hu-nan, capable of making out my poor Chinese talk in the
Hunanese variety of the Mandarin, which I had acquired from converse with Chiang Ssŭ-yeh,
my devoted companion on my former journey. Convinced in the end that the route I proposed
to follow up the western head-waters of the Kan-chou river and then down the Ta-t'ung river was
not likely to expose us to attacks from dreaded 'Hei-fan-tzŭ' or Tibetan robbers, and himself to
troubles in consequence, he managed to bring the recalcitrants to reason. A substantial advance
of silver which I made on account of hire also helped in the process, and an intelligent petty officer
was attached to my party to assure some measure of control farther on.

OBJECTS OBTAINED AT MA-TI-SSŬ SHRINES

Ma-ti-ssŭ. 01-9. Nine clay stucco relief plaques,
oblong, showing seated Buddha or Bodhisattva. Originally
painted dark red, but blackened by smoke. Surface
worn and detail mostly unintelligible.

01 and 02 show a Bodhisattva in jewelled necklace,
Dhōtī, and stole, sitting cross-legged on double lotus, with
lotus-petal halo behind. No separate halo for head. Field
of halo divided by horizontal band and filled with scroll
work ; three discs above, one behind head and one on
each side. The latter pair, perhaps Sun and Moon fig.,
and halo background originally gilded, with horizontal
band in green and perhaps other colours. Border red.
R. hand on knee in Bhūmisparśa-mudrā ; L. in lap,
apparently holding stem Vajra or ambrosia vase. 01 has
Chinese chars. below Padmāsana. 6″×4¾″.

03. Slightly smaller plaque showing similar fig. ; detail
somewhat clearer. 5″× (gr. width) 4½″.

04-8 are in Gandhāra style and show Buddha seated
cross-legged on single Padmāsana supported by kneeling
elephants under pillared and straight lintelled shrine.
Latter apparently same in all, but best preserved in 04,
which shows lotus-petal base and capital of pillar on each
side, double rectang. abacus above, and relief of two
deer facing each other across flaming jewel (?) on top of
straight crenelated roof at angles of which are birds. This
relief prob. symbolizes the First Sermon in Deer Park at
Benares.

Buddha has hands in meditation in 06-8, but in 04
they are in Dharmacakra-mudrā, and in 05 R. hand is
in Bhūmisparśa-mudrā and L. in lap. Remains of black
and red paint over all. 04, 6⅜″×4⅜″. 09 is fr. of smaller
plaque of seated Buddha, with Padmāsana and lotus-
petal halo as in 01-3. Hands in Dharmacakra-mudrā ;
surface much worn. Traces of Chin. chars. written below.
4⅞″×3⅞″. Pl. LXVII.

Ma-ti-ssŭ. 010. Carved wooden panel. Three boards of
unequal width, 1″ thick, are butted together and held by
two battens at back about 1⅛″ thick and 2⅓″ wide, fastened
by sliding into shallow dovetail groove, the edges of
battens being cut to fit dovetail. To the board thus
formed are applied a carved border of bold 'torus'
section, an inner flat border, and in a row along middle
board of panel four bosses carved with Chinese symbols.

Torus is mitred at corners and has slightly projecting
continuous flat members on each side, by which it is
fastened to board by wrought-iron nails. Flat inner
border fastened by means of wooden dowel-pins. Bosses
have chamfered border and are fastened to board by