■Stone Table 1

This tablet remains in perfect shape and shows Sanskrit letters representing Amida and his two attendants. Such letters are called shuji or seed-letters. The triangle head of the tablet also remains in almost perfect shape, and its two horizontal lines are carved deep. The Sanskrit letter representing Amida in the line engraving of a moon ring looks beautiful and powerful. The lotus pedestal supporting this letter is carved well. The Sanskrit letters representing Amida's two attendant bodhisattvas, Kannon and Seishi, have no lotus pedestals, but their carving is of excellent quality. At the lower right of the Sanskrit letters there is an inscription of year reading "First year of Hotoku, Year of the Serpent" (1449), and at the lower left there is another inscription of month and date reading "June 5." The characters inscribed in the center, which read "Keiho Ajari" (Master Keiho), remain in legible condition. The tablet has no frame lines and, with no chips on the periphery, remains in perfect shape. The first year of the Hotoku era (1449) was in the reign of Emperor Go-Hanazono and under the government of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa in the Muromachi period.

■Stone Tablet 2

This tablet has a small chip at the right end of its triangle head, but its two thick horizontal lines remain clear. The moon ring round the Sanskrit letter is line-engraved well, and the Sanskrit letter representing Amida is finely carved in yagen-bori, a carving method in which each line is cut or carved so that its section is V-shaped. The lotus pedestal below the letter is good-shaped and carved well. The month and date carved on the right side clearly read "November 12." The Buddhist name engraved thereon is also legible as "Myosai Zenni" (Nun Myosai). The basal part is chipped a little. A frame line is recognizable on the left edge. Its year, the third year of Bunmei (1471), was in the reign of Emperor Tsuchimikado and under the government of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa when Higashiyama culture flourished.

■Stone Tablet 3

This tablet shows a Sanskrit letter representing Amida alone. The triangle head has no chips, and its two horizontal lines remain clear. The tablet's forehead just below the horizontal lines shows no trace of corrosion. The Sanskrit letter is engraved in yagen-bori and looks powerful. Its lotus pedestal is also carved well. An ovary in the middle position (hereinafter referred to as "a middle ovary") is recognizable in the lotus pedestal, and its numerous petals are carved well. The inscription of date below the lotus pedestal reads "a Day in August, Second year of Shoo" (1289). The kanji characters of the year and month are written in s冱ho (a highly cursive style of calligraphy). Carved frame lines are seen on the four sides. The basal part is chipped a little at its lower right. This tablet is the oldest in this ward (Adachi-ku, Tokyo). August 1289 was in the reign of Emperor Fushimi in the Kamakura period.

■Stone Tablet 4

This tablet is small in size and remains in perfect shape. Its triangle head has no chips, and the two horizontal lines are comparatively thick and clear. The Sanskrit letter representing Amida is engraved in yagen-bori and looks beautiful and powerful. The lotus pedestal is carved well, and a middle ovary is also seen vaguely there. The inscription of date reads "Second year of Koan" (1362), which are engraved on the right, and "a Day in October," which are engraved on the left. A significant feature of this tablet is that it has a flower vase below the inscription of date. The vase is about four centimeters or 1.6 inches high, and two belt-like lines are carved on its body. The neck of the vase is rather thick, measuring about one centimeter or 0.4 inch across. The lotus flower in the vase is about 3.5 centimeters or 1.38 inches high, the left lotus leaf about 2.5 centimeters or one inch high, and the right lotus leaf about two centimeters or 0.79 inch high. Stone tablets with such flower vase designs are very rare among those in this ward. This tablet is consequently very precious. The date is "a Day in October, Second year of Koan" (1362). The era name was changed to Joji effective September 23, 1362. The year corresponds with the 17th year of Shohei in the Southern Court (the period of the Northern and Southern Courts lasted from 1337 to 1392). That is, it was an age of opposition between Emperor Go-Murakami of the Southern Court and Emperor Go-Kogon of the Northern Court. It was really an age of disorder when the shogun of the time, Ashikaga Yoshiakira, ran here, there and everywhere to hunt down and kill insurgent troops. Unlike the modern times, communication media was undeveloped in those days, and that must be why the old era name, Koan, was still used even in October 1362 when the era name had already been changed to Joji. Thus this tablet reflects an aspect of the social conditions of the times.

■Stone Tablet 5

This tablet shows a Sanskrit letter representing Amida alone. Unfortunately, its triangle head is chipped. The Sanskrit letter is engraved in yagen-bori, and part of the letter is surrounded by a moon ring. What is considered to be a middle ovary is recognizable as a part of the lotus pedestal. The inscription of date reads "Sixth year of Enbun" (1361) on the left and "May 25" on the right with a flower vase design in-between. The flower vase is about five centimeters or 1.6 inches high, and two belt-like lines are carved on its body. Its neck is rather narrow, and the flowers in it are defaced and not recognizable. The carved frame lines remain clear except at the lower right edge. It is a pity for the right edge of the basal part and the top of the Sanskrit letter to have been chipped. The sixth year of the Enbun era is 1361 in the Christian era and the 16th year of the Shohei era according to the Southern Court's calendar. In the Northern Court, the era name was changed to Koan effective March 29, 1361, so May 25 of the sixth year of Enbun should be May 25 of the first year of Koan. The year was in the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of the Northern Court and in the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami of the Southern Court. It was around the time when Ashikaga Yoshiakira succeeded his father Takauji and became the second shogun of the Muromachi period. It could not be helped owing to undeveloped communication media in those days, but it is felt strange for us that the old era name was still used here in the province of Bush* (mainly present-day Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture) even two months after the change of the era. This is also considered to reflect an aspect of the social conditions of the times.

■Stone Tablet 6

This tablet is small in size and shows a Sanskrit letter representing Amida alone. The triangle head remains in almost perfect shape, and its two horizontal lines are thick and clear. The tablet's forehead is not worn out, and the carved frame lines, though narrow, remain clear. The Sanskrit letter and its lotus pedestal are carved well and look beautiful. The inscription of date reads "Thirty-third year of ・i" (1426) on the right and "November 8" on the left. Carved in the center are four kanji characters meaning "Performance of a Buddhist service in advance to pray for the repose of my soul - Kyojitsu." A pious person by the name of Kyojitsu must have held a Buddhist service before his death to earnestly pray for his easy passage into the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss. This tablet, though small in size, is preserved in perfect shape. The thirty-third year of the oei era was in the reign of Emperor Shoko. The Northern and Southern Courts reconciled, and the Meitoku era of the Northern Court and the Genchu era of the Southern Court were unified into oei. This tablet is a witness of the time.