One of the greatest scholars of Chinese and Japanese Buddhist history was Antonino Forte (1940-2006), who was Director of the Italian School of Oriental (later East Asian) Studies in Kyoto for many years. Professor Forte's approach to Buddhist Studies was like that of a detective attempting to solve a difficult case. He displayed his investigative skills in a series of important projects such as those in which he addressed the riddle of the origins of The Great Cloud Sutra, the mystery of Empress Wu's massive tower and astronomical clock, and the case of the Iranian prince held hostage at...