Authority and Competition: Shingon Buddhist Monastic Communities in Medieval Japanese Regional Society

In medieval Japan, the development of Shingon Buddhist monastic communities in regional society greatly depended on communication and religious support from centrally located Shingon monasteries such as Daigoji. However, little is known about associations or competitions among regional Shingon templ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Xiaolong, Huang (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Nanzan Institute 2021
In: Japanese journal of religious studies
Year: 2021, Volume: 48, Issue: 1, Pages: 103-123
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Echizen / Shingon school / Monastery / Hierarchy / Regionalization / History 1300-1600
RelBib Classification:AF Geography of religion
BL Buddhism
KBM Asia
KCA Monasticism; religious orders
RB Church office; congregation
TH Late Middle Ages
TJ Modern history
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Description
Summary:In medieval Japan, the development of Shingon Buddhist monastic communities in regional society greatly depended on communication and religious support from centrally located Shingon monasteries such as Daigoji. However, little is known about associations or competitions among regional Shingon temples. This article focuses on Shingon Buddhist temples in Echizen Province, an important area in which Daigoji monks, such as Ryūgen and Genga, were active in transmitting the minutia of ritual practices. By analyzing documents and sacred teachings related to Takidanji, a Shingon Buddhist temple located in Mikuni Port, its disciple temples, and other Shingon Buddhist temples in the region, this article clarifies the interplay of these institutions in the late medieval period. The article argues that the features of Shingon Buddhist monastic communities in medieval Echizen were multipolar, consisting of Takidanji, Shōkaiji, and Sōjiji. The connection with Daigoji monks, in fact, brought about rivalry among these regional temples.
Contains:Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.48.1.2021.103-123