Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 2002 29/1-2 The Dharma for Sovereigns and Warriors Onjo-ji ^ しlaim for Legitimacy in Tengu zoshi (original) (raw)
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The Dharma for Sovereigns and Warriors: Onjō-ji's Claim for Legitimacy in Tengu zōshi
Japanese journal of religious studies, 2002
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 beinga fine example of medieval art, is also an invaluable source for historical studies of late Kamakura Buddmsm.
International Journal of Asian Studies, 2014
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Weighing in on Evidence: Documents and Literary Manuscripts in Early Medieval Japan
To many scholars, Japan's twelfth century represents of decline of imperial authority and disorder, representing a transition into the medieval age of warrior rule and an increasing reliance on resolving disputes with arms. And yet, this era also appears to represent an increased reliance on literary manuscripts and historical documents rather than a move away from them. Such a conclusion is borne out by an analysis of Taira no Kiyomori (1118‒1181), the first warrior-aristocrat to control the imperial court, and of Japan's first warrior government, the Kamakura shogunate (1185‒1333). Both were newcomers to the national political scene, but they also made extensive use of existing manuscript traditions, resulting in an increase of written. Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to state that the more competitive and tumultuous the socio-political context, the more important was the possession of prescriptive and culturally valuable manuscripts.
The Shokyu version of the Kitano Tenjin engi emaki: A brief introduction to its content and function
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Azuchi Castle: Architectural Innovation and Political Legitimacy in Sixteenth-Century Japan
This study seeks to clarify the limits of knowledge regarding Azuchi Castle (Azuchi-jō) and, in turn, offers a multifaceted interpretation of its crowning glory―the six-story, lavishly decorated, timber-framed tower known as a tenshu (donjon). Azuchi Castle was located on a small mountain on the eastern shores of Lake Biwa. Completed in 1579, it was conceived and constructed to be a capital for the first of the so-called “three-unifiers” of Japan, Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582). Due to its landmark importance in Japanese history, Azuchi has not suffered from a lack of attention. However, owing to its short, three-year life and the tantalizingly vague and often contradictory records that remain of it, Azuchi has often been the subject of unfettered and under-qualified speculation. The first part of this dissertation is thus dedicated to surveying and simplifying the issues that have inspired the contentious and confusing image of Azuchi that exists in scholarly discourse. To this end, the disparate written primary sources on Azuchi, the waves of archeological digs, and the numerous reconstructive models of the tenshu are explored and the known perimeters of the “object” at the center of this study is as best as possible, defined. The second part of this dissertation is focused on the Azuchi tenshu. The case will be made that the tenshu represents a unique product of class, technology, and ideology. I contend that the tenshu as an evolved form of yagura (unembellished towers used in sieges) represents an unique expression of provincial warrior identity. This expression was elevated to a level of elite status by means of a new breed of master carpenter versed in the newly capable technology of architectural drawing. Finally, I argue that the architectural and painting programs of the Azuchi tenshu’s keep framed Nobunaga as both heir to his predecessors in the Ashikaga shogunate and through evocation of the Chinese imperial building known as a Mingtang (“Bright Hall”), the unimpeachable recipient of a “Mandate of Heaven” to govern.