Jichihan and the Restoration and Innovation of Buddhist Practice
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Tourists in Paradise Writing the Pure Land in Medieval Japanese Fiction
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 33/2: 269–296 © 2006 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture R. Keller Kimbrough Tourists in Paradise Writing the Pure Land in Medieval Japanese Fiction Late-medieval Japanese fiction contains numerous accounts of lay and monastic travelers to the Pure Land and other extra-human realms. In many cases, the “tourists” are granted guided tours, after which they are returned to the mun- dane world in order to tell of their unusual experiences. This article explores several of these stories from around the sixteenth century, including, most prominently, Fuji no hitoana sōshi, Tengu no dairi, and a section of Seiganji engi. I discuss the plots and conventions of these and other narratives, most of which appear to be based upon earlier oral tales employed in preaching and fund-raising, in order to illuminate their implications for our understanding of Pure Land-oriented Buddhism in late-medieval Japan. I also seek to demon- strate the diversity and subjectivity of Pure Land religious experience, and the sometimes startling gap between orthodox doctrinal and popular vernacular representations of Pure Land practices and beliefs. keywords: otogizōshi – jisha engi – shaji engi – Fuji no hitoana sōshi – Bishamon no honji – Tengu no dairi – Seiganji engi – hell – travel R. Keller Kimbrough is an assistant professor of Japanese Literature at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 269 ccording to an anonymous work of fifteenth- or early sixteenth- century Japanese fiction by the name of Chōhōji yomigaeri no sōshi 長宝 寺よみがへりの草紙 [Back from the dead at Chōhōji Temple], the Japa- Anese Buddhist nun Keishin dropped dead on the sixth day of the sixth month of Eikyō 11 (1439), made her way to the court of King Enma, ruler of the under- world, and there received the King’s personal religious instruction and a trau- matic tour of hell. -
The Shôkyû Version of the Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki: a Brief Introduction to Its Content and Function
Eras Edition 11, November 2009 – http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/publications/eras The Shôkyû version of the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki: A brief introduction to its content and function Sara L. Sumpter (University of Pittsburgh) Abstract: This article examines the political and social atmosphere surrounding the production of the thirteenth-century hand scroll Kitano Tenjin engi emaki (Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine), which depicts the life, death and posthumous revenge of the ninth-century courtier Sugawara no Michizane. The article combines an analysis of the content and religious iconography of the scroll, a study of early Japanese beliefs in angry spirits of the dead, and a narration of the actual life of Michizane in an attempt to produce a sketch of the rituals and superstitions of Heian and early Kamakura period Japanese society, and to suggest possible functions of the hand scroll that complement them. The hand scroll sets collectively known as the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki (Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Shrine) each tell the story of the life and death of the ninth- century courtier and poet, Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), and of the posthumous revenge undertaken by his vengeful spirit (onryô). According to the scrolls, Michizane was falsely accused of treason by rivals at the Heian court who were jealous of his astronomical rise to power. He was exiled to Dazaifu on the island of Kyushu in 901 and died there two years later in despair. His spirit persisted in seeking retribution against his enemies and in reclaiming his position and honours. He is said to have stalked his numerous rivals in the form of the thunder god (raijin) before ultimately revealing to a frightened court, through a series of intermediaries, the means of his pacification: deification and worship at the Kitano Shrine in Kyoto.1 Today the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki (hereafter referred to as the Tenjin scrolls) number more than thirty extant examples, ranging in date from the early thirteenth century to the nineteenth century. -
Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei Mandara Talia J
Mapping Sacred Spaces: Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei mandara Talia J. Andrei Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 2016 © 2016 Talia J.Andrei All rights reserved Abstract Mapping Sacred Spaces: Representations of Pleasure and Worship in Sankei Mandara Talia J. Andrei This dissertation examines the historical and artistic circumstances behind the emergence in late medieval Japan of a short-lived genre of painting referred to as sankei mandara (pilgrimage mandalas). The paintings are large-scale topographical depictions of sacred sites and served as promotional material for temples and shrines in need of financial support to encourage pilgrimage, offering travelers worldly and spiritual benefits while inspiring them to donate liberally. Itinerant monks and nuns used the mandara in recitation performances (etoki) to lead audiences on virtual pilgrimages, decoding the pictorial clues and touting the benefits of the site shown. Addressing themselves to the newly risen commoner class following the collapse of the aristocratic order, sankei mandara depict commoners in the role of patron and pilgrim, the first instance of them being portrayed this way, alongside warriors and aristocrats as they make their way to the sites, enjoying the local delights, and worship on the sacred grounds. Together with the novel subject material, a new artistic language was created— schematic, colorful and bold. We begin by locating sankei mandara’s artistic roots and influences and then proceed to investigate the individual mandara devoted to three sacred sites: Mt. Fuji, Kiyomizudera and Ise Shrine (a sacred mountain, temple and shrine, respectively). -
Shigisan Engi Shigisan Engi Overview
Shigisan engi Shigisan engi Overview I. The Shigisan engi or Legends of the Temple on Mount Shigi consists of three handscrolls. Scroll 1 is commonly called “The Flying Granary,” Scroll 2 “The Exorcism of the Engi Emperor,” and Scroll 3 “The Story of the Nun.” These scrolls are a pictorial presentation of three legends handed down among the common people. These legends appear under the title “Shinano no kuni no hijiri no koto” (The Sage of Shinano Province) in both the Uji sh¯ui monogatari (Tales from Uji) and the Umezawa version of the Kohon setsuwash¯u (Collection of Ancient Legends). Since these two versions of the legends are quite similar, one is assumed to be based on the other. The Kohon setsuwash¯u ver- sion is written largely in kana, the phonetic script, with few Chinese characters and is very close to the text of the Shigisan engi handscrolls. Thus, it seems likely that there is a deep connection between the Shigisan engi and the Kohon setsuwash¯u; one was probably the basis for the other. “The Flying Granary,” Scroll 1 of the Shigisan engi, lacks the textual portion, which has probably been lost. As that suggests, the Shigisan engi have not come down to us in their original form. The Shigisan Ch¯ogosonshiji Temple owns the Shigisan engi, and the lid of the box in which the scrolls were stored lists two other documents, the Taishigun no maki (Army of Prince Sh¯otoku-taishi) and notes to that scroll, in addition to the titles of the three scrolls. -
Histoire Du Thé Au Japon : Techniques Culturales Et De Fabrication Du Thé À L’Époque Edo Guillaume Hurpeau
Histoire du thé au Japon : techniques culturales et de fabrication du thé à l’époque Edo Guillaume Hurpeau To cite this version: Guillaume Hurpeau. Histoire du thé au Japon : techniques culturales et de fabrication du thé à l’époque Edo. Histoire. PSL Research University, 2018. Français. NNT : 2018PSLEP059. tel- 02271404 HAL Id: tel-02271404 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02271404 Submitted on 26 Aug 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. THÈSE DE DOCTORAT de l’Université de recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres PSL Research University Préparée à l’École Pratique des Hautes Études Histoire du thé au Japon : Techniques culturales et de fabrication du thé à l’époque Edo École doctorale de l’EPHE – ED 472 Spécialité : Études de l’Extrême-Orient COMPOSITION DU JURY : M. Guillaume CARRE Maître de conférences, EHESS Rapporteur Mme Annick HORIUCHI Professeur des Universités, Université Paris Diderot Rapporteur Mme Charlotte von VERSCHUER Directeur d’études, EPHE Directrice de recherche Soutenue par : M. François LACHAUD Guillaume HURPEAU -
Noh Theater and Religion in Medieval Japan
Copyright 2016 Dunja Jelesijevic RITUALS OF THE ENCHANTED WORLD: NOH THEATER AND RELIGION IN MEDIEVAL JAPAN BY DUNJA JELESIJEVIC DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in East Asian Languages and Cultures in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Elizabeth Oyler, Chair Associate Professor Brian Ruppert, Director of Research Associate Professor Alexander Mayer Professor Emeritus Ronald Toby Abstract This study explores of the religious underpinnings of medieval Noh theater and its operating as a form of ritual. As a multifaceted performance art and genre of literature, Noh is understood as having rich and diverse religious influences, but is often studied as a predominantly artistic and literary form that moved away from its religious/ritual origin. This study aims to recapture some of the Noh’s religious aura and reclaim its religious efficacy, by exploring the ways in which the art and performance of Noh contributed to broader religious contexts of medieval Japan. Chapter One, the Introduction, provides the background necessary to establish the context for analyzing a selection of Noh plays which serve as case studies of Noh’s religious and ritual functioning. Historical and cultural context of Noh for this study is set up as a medieval Japanese world view, which is an enchanted world with blurred boundaries between the visible and invisible world, human and non-human, sentient and non-sentient, enlightened and conditioned. The introduction traces the religious and ritual origins of Noh theater, and establishes the characteristics of the genre that make it possible for Noh to be offered up as an alternative to the mainstream ritual, and proposes an analysis of this ritual through dynamic and evolving schemes of ritualization and mythmaking, rather than ritual as a superimposed structure. -
Powerful Warriors and Influential Clergy Interaction and Conflict Between the Kamakura Bakufu and Religious Institutions
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAllllBRARI Powerful Warriors and Influential Clergy Interaction and Conflict between the Kamakura Bakufu and Religious Institutions A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY MAY 2003 By Roy Ron Dissertation Committee: H. Paul Varley, Chairperson George J. Tanabe, Jr. Edward Davis Sharon A. Minichiello Robert Huey ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a doctoral dissertation is quite an endeavor. What makes this endeavor possible is advice and support we get from teachers, friends, and family. The five members of my doctoral committee deserve many thanks for their patience and support. Special thanks go to Professor George Tanabe for stimulating discussions on Kamakura Buddhism, and at times, on human nature. But as every doctoral candidate knows, it is the doctoral advisor who is most influential. In that respect, I was truly fortunate to have Professor Paul Varley as my advisor. His sharp scholarly criticism was wonderfully balanced by his kindness and continuous support. I can only wish others have such an advisor. Professors Fred Notehelfer and Will Bodiford at UCLA, and Jeffrey Mass at Stanford, greatly influenced my development as a scholar. Professor Mass, who first introduced me to the complex world of medieval documents and Kamakura institutions, continued to encourage me until shortly before his untimely death. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to them. In Japan, I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to Professors Imai Masaharu and Hayashi Yuzuru for their time, patience, and most valuable guidance. -
161: the Ten Pillars of Buddhism Transcription Taken from the Windhorse Publications Book of the Same Title FOREWORD As the Open
161: The Ten Pillars of Buddhism Transcription taken from the Windhorse Publications book of the same title FOREWORD As the opening passage of this book makes clear, the paper reproduced here was first delivered to a gathering of members of the Western Buddhist Order, in London, in April 1984. The occasion marked the celebration of the Order's sixteenth anniversary, and the theme of the paper was one of fundamental importance to all those present: the Ten Precepts. These Precepts are the ten ethical principles that Order members `receive' at the time of their ordination, and which they undertake subsequently to observe as a spiritually potent aspect of their everyday lives. The theme was therefore a very basic and seemingly down-to-earth one, but here, as he is wont to do, Sangharakshita demonstrated that no theme is so `basic' that it can be taken for granted. As a communication from the Enlightened mind, the various formulations and expressions of the Buddha's teaching can be turned to again and again; their freshness and relevance can never be exhausted. As he spoke, it was clear that Sangharakshita was addressing a far larger audience than that which was present at the time. The relevance of his material extended of course to those Order members, present and future, who could not be there on that occasion. But it reached out further than that, to the entire, wider `Buddhist world', and still further, to all those who, whether Buddhist or not, seek guidance and insights in their quest for ethical standards by which to live. -
Discourses on Religious Violence in Premodern Japan
The Numata Conference on Buddhist Studies: Violence, Nonviolence, and Japanese Religions: Past, Present, and Future. University of Hawaii, March 2014. Discourses on Religious Violence in Premodern Japan Mickey Adolphson University of Alberta 2014 What is religious violence and why is it relevant to us? This may seem like an odd question, for 20–21, surely we can easily identify it, especially considering the events of 9/11 and other instances of violence in the name of religion over the past decade or so? Of course, it is relevant not just permission March because of acts done in the name of religion but also because many observers find violence noa, involving religious followers or justified by religious ideologies especially disturbing. But such a ā author's M notion is based on an overall assumption that religions are, or should be, inherently peaceful and at the harmonious, and on the modern Western ideal of a separation of religion and politics. As one Future scholar opined, religious ideologies are particularly dangerous since they are “a powerful and Hawai‘i without resource to mobilize individuals and groups to do violence (whether physical or ideological of violence) against modern states and political ideologies.”1 But are such assumptions tenable? Is a quote Present, determination toward self-sacrifice, often exemplified by suicide bombers, a unique aspect of not violence motivated by religious doctrines? In order to understand the concept of “religious do Past, University violence,” we must ask ourselves what it is that sets it apart from other violence. In this essay, I the and at will discuss the notion of religious violence in the premodern Japanese setting by looking at a 2 paper Religions: number of incidents involving Buddhist temples. -
Momotaro (The Peach Boy) and the Spirit of Japan: Concerning the Function of a Fairy Tale in Japanese Nationalism of the Early Showa Age*
Klaus Antoni Universitdt Hamburg Momotaro (The Peach Boy) and the Spirit of Japan: Concerning the Function of a Fairy Tale in Japanese Nationalism of the Early Showa Age* Abstract This article is concerned with a famous Japanese fairy tale, Momotaro, which was used during the war years in school readers as a primary part of nationalistic pro paganda. The tale and its central motif are analyzed and traced back through history to its earliest forms. Heroes from legend and history offered perfect identification patterns and images for the propagation of state ideals that were spread through education, the military, and war propaganda. Momotaro subtly- transmitted to young school pupils that which official Japan looked upon as the goal of its ideological education: through a fairy tale the gate to the “ Japanese spirit ” was opened. Key words: Momotaro — Japanese spirit — war propaganda Ryukyu Islands Asian Folklore Studies> Volume 50,1991:155-188. N a t io n a l is m a n d F o l k T r a d it io n in M o d e r n J a p a n F oundations of Japanese N ationalism APAN is a land rich in myths, legends, and fairy tales. It pos sesses a large store of traditional oral and literary folk literature, J which has not been accounted for or even recognized in the West. The very earliest traditional written historical documents contain narratives, themes, and motifs that express this rich tradition. Even though the Kojiki of the year 712, the oldest extant written source, was conceived of as a historical work at the time, it is a collection of pure myths, or at least the beginning portions are. -
The Discourse on the “Land of Kami” (Shinkoku) in Medieval Japan National Consciousness and International Awareness
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1996 2 3/3-4 The Discourse on the “Land of Kami” (Shinkoku) in Medieval Japan National Consciousness and International Awareness Kuroda Toshio Translated by Fabio Rambelli This essay examines the concept of “shinkoku” (land of the kami) as it evolved in medieval Japan, and the part this concept played in the devel opment of a state ideology. A close look at medieval documents reveals that medieval Shinto doctrines arose in Japan as part of the exoteric-esoteric sys tem (kenmitsu taisei),the dominant politico-religious ethos of the times, and was heavily influenced by the Buddhist teaching of original enlight enment (hongaku shiso). In this sense it was a construct of Buddhism, and a reactionary phenomenon arising out of the decadence of the earlier system of government rule. The exo-esoteric system (kenmitsu taisei 顕密体制)was,as I have dis cussed in other writings, inseparably related to the medieval Japanese state. How, then, did kenmitsu thought influence the contemporane ous awareness oi the Japanese state and of the world outside Japan? I would like to investigate this question in the present essay through an analysis of the medieval discourse on the “land of the kami” (shinkoku ネ申国). Earlier studies on the shinkoku concept have tended to consider it in isolation rather than in the context of the various historical factors with which it was inseparably linked,factors such as exo-esotericism (kenmitsu shugi II 始、王義 ,the womb or essence of shinkoku thought) and the contemporaneous Japanese attitude toward the world out- This article is a translation of the fourth section, ^Chusei no shinkoku shiso: Kokka ishi- ki to kokusai kankaku,” of Kuroda Toshio’s essay <£Chusei ni okeru kenmitsu taisei no tenkai” (Kuroda 1994). -
The Dharma for Sovereigns and Warriors
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 2002 29/1-2 The Dharma for Sovereigns and Warriors Onjo-ji^ しlaim for Legitimacy in Tengu zoshi H aruko Wakabayashi One of the recurring themes depicted in the i engu zoshi, a set of seven scrolls dated 1296,is the conflict among established temples of Nara and Kyoto. The present article focuses particularly on the dispute between Enryaku-ji (sanmon) and Onjo-ji {jimon) that took place during the thir teenth century as it is depicted in Tengu zoshi. The analysis of the texts, both visual and verbal, reveals that the scrolls are more sympathetic to Onjo-ji than Enryaku-ji. This is evident especially when the verbal texts of the Onjo-ji and Enryaku-ji scrolls are compared. Closer examination of the scrolls also shows that Onjo-ji claims superiority over all other established temples. This study shows how the scrolls reveal the discourse formed by the temples during disputes in the late Kamakura period in order to win sup port from political authorities. Tengu zoshi, therefore, in addition to being- a fine example of medieval art, is also an invaluable source for historical studies of late Kamakura Buddmsm. Keywords: Tengu zoshi —— Onjo-ji — Enryaku-ji — obo buppo soi — narrative scroll (emaki) — ordination platform (kaidan) Tengu zoshi 天狗草紙 is a set of narrative scrolls {emaki,絵巻)dated to 1296.1 The set consists of seven scrolls: the Kofuku-ji 興福寺,Todai-ji fhis article is based on a chapter of my doctoral dissertation, and was revised and pre sented most recently at the Setsuwa Bungakukai in Nagoya, December 2001.I wish to thank Kuroda Hideo, Abe Yasuro, Harada Masatoshi, and my colleagues Saito Ken’ichi,Fujiwara Shigeo, and Kuroda Satoshi for reading and commenting on my drafts.