Otani University Academic Repository / 大谷大学学術情報リポジトリ

Miriam, Chusid

Chusid, Miriam

T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  2 ,  1100
as either a faithful continuation, or a Sinitic reinterpretation, of Indian Buddhism 
seems to hinge more on the “hermeneutical presuppositions” of the scholar herself 
than on anything that is objectively assessable. Nonetheless, a question may still be 
raised on the more naïve level of empirical evidence: Couldn’t there exist elements of 
Chinese Buddhism that emerged independently in China, neither as an inheritance 
from Indian Buddhism nor as a product of adapting Indian Buddhism? If such indig-
enous elements furthermore played roles in the development of Buddhism in China 
that the elements that were inherited or adapted from Indian Buddhism could not 
have played, the author’s continuity thesis would have only limited applicability and 
thus could not be used to generalize the history of medieval Chinese Buddhism as 
a whole. !is suggestion, however, is only to point to possible further directions we 
could explore by following the example of this book’s careful and detailed study of pre-
viously overlooked aspects of medieval Chinese Buddhism.
REFERENCES
Gimello, Robert M. 1978. “Random Reflections on the Sinicization of Buddhism.” Society for 
the Study of Chinese Religions Bulletin 5, pp. 52–89. 
Lin, Chen-kuo, and Michael Radich, eds. 2014. A Distant Mirror: Articulating Indic Ideas in 
Sixth and Seventh Century Chinese Buddhism. Hamburg: Hamburg University Press.
Ch#sei bukky! kaiga no zuz!shi: Ky!setsu emaki, rokud!e, kus!zu 中世仏教絵画の図像誌： 
経説絵巻・六道絵・九相図 (A Genealogy of Imagery in Medieval Buddhist Paintings: 
From Six Realms of Rebirth to Nine Stages of Decay). By Yamamoto Satomi 山本聡美. 
Tokyo: Yoshikawa K"bunkan, 2020. ix + 461 + xv pages. Hardcover. ISBN-13: 978-4 
-642-01663-6.
M/(/+D C,-./&
Images of the grotesque in medieval Japanese Buddhist paintings have long fascinated 
artists and viewers alike. !ese depictions depart from conventional representations 
of benevolent deities and instead pictorialize conceptions of Buddhist su3ering and 
the six samsaric realms of existence. While paintings of hell arguably comprise the 
largest and most diverse corpus of imagery dedicated to this theme, the other 8ve 
realms, including those of hungry ghosts, animals, ashura 阿修羅, humans, and celes-
tial beings, also found expression in Japanese visual culture. Yamamoto Satomi’s book, 
which is the culmination of decades of research, presents an expansive investigation of 
B O O K  R E V I E W S 101
this subject and contains signi8cant new arguments and interpretations that will shape 
the way scholars engage this material in the future. 
Yamamoto’s study is divided into four parts and sixteen chapters. An English 
abstract can be found at the end of the main text. Part 1 introduces six handscrolls 
thought to have been commissioned by or produced within the environs of Retired 
Emperor Goshirakawa 後白河 (1127–1192). !ree of these, Jigoku z!shi 地獄草紙 
(hereafter, !e Hell Scrolls), Gaki z!shi 餓鬼草紙 (hereafter, !e Hungry Ghosts 
Scrolls), and Yamai no s!shi 病草紙 (hereafter, !e Scroll of Illness), most directly express 
Japanese interpretations of samsaric rebirths. !e Hekijae 辟邪絵 (hereafter, !e Exter-
mination of Evil) depicts apotropaic deities transmitted from China, and Yamamoto 
follows in the footsteps of previous scholarship by grouping it with the above three 
based on the calligraphy of the text and the artistic style of the paintings. !e remain-
ing scrolls discussed in this section include the Ban Dainagon emaki 伴大納言絵巻 
(!e Tale of Ban Dainagon) and the Kokawadera engi emaki 粉河寺縁起絵巻 (!e 
Miraculous Origins of Kokawadera). While the latter two examples do not overtly 
portray philosophies of Buddhist doctrine, Yamamoto argues that artists incorporated 
a burgeoning visual culture representing karmic retribution to enhance the meaning of 
these illustrated stories and provide commentary on the behavior of certain characters 
in them. 
In part 2, the author departs from Buddhist imagery to examine the afterlives of 
Goshirakawa’s handscroll collection which, as is well known, became dispersed shortly 
after his death. Yamamoto investigates the ways in which later generations of view-
ers engaged with these objects through two di3erent approaches. First, she traces the 
construction of the artistic identity of Tokiwa Mitsunaga 常盤光長 (<. 12th c.). No 
veri8able works are extant by this artist, who worked as a painter during Goshirakawa’s 
lifetime. As aristocrats over the centuries viewed Goshirakawa’s handscrolls, however, 
they began to attribute them to Mitsunaga until he posthumously became known as 
the artist responsible for producing the retired emperor’s original commissions. Sec-
ond, Yamamoto examines the humorous handscroll entitled H!higassen emaki 放屁 
合戦絵巻 (hereafter, !e Battle of Breaking Wind). Centuries after its initial creation 
in the twelfth century, Prince Sadafusa 貞成親王 (1372–1456) copied and amended 
the images while adding his own dialog directly to the narrative vignettes, creating a 
wholly new and original composition. 
!e latter half of the book focuses on depictions of Buddhist su3ering. In part 3, 
Yamamoto examines the development and expansion of paintings that initially drew 
upon descriptions of the six realms of rebirth as expounded by the Japanese monk 
Genshin 源信 (942–1017) in his famous manuscript, *j!y!sh# 往生要集 (hereafter, 
!e Essentials of Rebirth; 985). Yamamoto takes a similar methodological approach 
in part 4, but instead concentrates on a genre of imagery illustrating the nine stages 
T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  2 ,  1102
of decay of the human body, a topic established in a text based on a series of lectures 
by the Tiantai 天台 monk Zhiyi 智顗 (538–597) called Mohe zhiguan 摩訶止観 (!e 
Great Cessation and Contemplation, 594). Images of the nine stages of decay were ini-
tially conceived of as a meditative tool for monks to sever attachment and sexual desire 
but also became a means for others to recognize the body’s inherent impurity. !rough 
these four broad topics, Yamamoto traces the way cultural environments and contexts 
of artistic production in<uenced the creation and understanding of a visual culture 
related to Buddhist su3ering and a;liations. Since the scope of Yamamoto’s research is 
so extensive, I will summarize what I feel are her most important arguments below. 
First, issues relating to relationships of text and image form the core of Yamamoto’s 
study. As she notes in her introduction, Akiyama Terukazu 秋山光和 (1918–2009) 
was one of the 8rst scholars to identify the process by which priests or interlocutors 
adapted the meaning of canonical texts to lectures and sermons appropriate for lay 
audiences. !is entailed providing commentary on a sacred scripture, paraphrasing or 
summarizing Buddhist teachings in an interesting and engaging way, and interpreting 
legends or historical incidents through a Buddhist lens even if these stories did not 
contain any inherent Buddhist teachings (p. 4). Yamamoto uses Akiyama’s argument as 
a springboard for her own investigations. In doing so, she implicitly questions received 
narratives that posit singular relationships between text and image, namely, that artists 
produced the paintings under investigation to elucidate the meaning of sacred writ-
ings. Instead, Yamamoto demonstrates a diversity of text-image interactions, especially 
in her arguments that pictures could also function as the grounds upon which new 
knowledge is produced.
A second major contribution Yamamoto makes is in the analysis of rokud!-e 六道絵 
(paintings depicting the six paths of existence). Illustrations of Buddhist hells and the 
other 8ve realms produced in Japan have long been understood within the framework 
of $e Essentials of Rebirth introduced above. However, as Yamamoto demonstrates, 
representations of the six paths were informed by a range of canonical texts, existing 
beliefs, and religious practices. As such, the content of these images could change and 
shift depending on the needs of the patrons. 
!e implications of these contributions are revealed through examples Yamamoto 
considers in parts 1 and 3. For instance, Yamamoto’s discussion of $e Scroll of Illnesses 
in part 1 is notable for the ways artists interpreted and visually represented aspects of 
Heian 平安 (794–1185) society within a canonical Buddhist framework. As the author 
notes, the composition of the handscroll was likely inspired by the Sh!b! nenjo ky! 
正法念処経 (hereafter, !e Sutra on the Meditation of the True Law), a scripture that 
describes various human ailments as the result of karmic retribution. As Yamamoto 
observes, however, only a fraction of the illustrations in $e Scroll of Illnesses have 
direct textual counterparts in the sutra. !e remaining scenes, she argues, were more 
B O O K  R E V I E W S 103
likely expressive of the human condition as encountered in the streets of the capital. In 
particular, she shows that while the scene depicting two 8gures ridiculing an intersex 
medium in the handscroll may have links to the scripture’s discussion of hermaphro-
ditism, it also had strong visual connections to practicing male shamans, a marginal-
ized class of people who worked as diviners in Kyoto at the time (pp. 57–66). !e 
inclusion of such vignettes in $e Scroll of Illnesses sheds light on how patrons and pro-
ducers overlaid their understandings of punishments for deeds committed in previous 
lifetimes as described in Buddhist scripture onto contemporary Heian society.
$e Scroll of Illnesses is unique in the corpus of extant Japanese paintings for its 
illustration of maladies, and scholars have long debated whether Goshirakawa com-
missioned this particular object alongside $e Hell Handscrolls and $e Hungry Ghosts 
Handscrolls as part of a set of rokud!-e paintings. Yamamoto believes this to be the case 
as all depict the theme of karmic causality and at least one version of both the hell 
and hungry ghosts handscrolls is also based on $e Sutra on the Meditation of the True 
Law. !is observation in and of itself o3ers a great deal to consider and, within these 
parameters, Yamamoto may indeed be correct in her argument. Her assertion however 
seems too neat, and it would have bene8tted by addressing the di;culty of under-
standing these scrolls under one rubric. For instance, not all extant versions of the hell 
and hungry ghosts handscrolls that Goshirakawa commissioned are based on $e Sutra 
on the Meditation of the True Law. Although Yamamoto further attempts to support 
her hypothesis of a coherent set of rokud!-e with her theory that $e Extermination of 
Evil represents a Heian-period interpretation of the realm of the ashura, this scroll is 
likewise not rooted in $e Sutra on the Meditation of the True Law. It also exhibits a 
di3erent set of doctrinal concerns than the 8rst three artworks, and thus seems to fall 
outside of the criteria for Goshirakawa’s hypothetical set that Yamamoto laid out in the 
previous chapter (p. 98). Still, these shortcomings do not diminish the importance of 
her meticulous examination of these objects and her larger insights into the ways art-
ists and patrons superimposed basic Buddhist concepts of retribution onto their own 
experiences and daily lives.
While part 1 focuses on portrayals of the six realms commissioned by Goshirakawa, 
part 3 pivots to a discussion of the monumental set of 8fteen hanging scrolls of the 
same theme now owned by the temple Sh"juraig"ji 聖衆来迎寺 in Shiga Prefecture. 
!e thirteenth-century patrons of these paintings wished to create a series of images 
depicting the six paths that were closely related to $e Essentials of Rebirth as evidenced 
by inscribed passages of this text found on each of the scrolls except for one. Yet even 
in this case, as Yamamoto shows, the producers still incorporated elements from a 
broader visual culture associated with rituals for care of the dead, a topic that $e 
Essentials of Rebirth does not discuss. For instance, the Sh"juraig"ji set dedicates one 
entire hanging scroll to the depiction of King Enma 閻魔, a 8gure generally recognized 
T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  2 ,  1104
as the lord of the underworld. Pictorially, Yamamoto suggests that artists drew upon 
depictions of Enma as an esoteric 8gure who provided worldly bene8ts. She also drew 
upon paintings imported from Ningbo 寧波 that illustrate him as a 8erce judge of the 
deceased (pp. 247–53). Without documentation detailing these scrolls’ ritual function, 
the role that Enma played within the set cannot be known with certainty. Neverthe-
less, the inclusion of this image suggests that the purpose of the Sh"juraig"ji paintings 
went far beyond visualizing descriptions and elucidating concepts in $e Essentials of 
Rebirth.
Yamamoto’s argument that rokud!-e were neither 8xed by text nor religious practice 
o3ers a signi8cant revision of existing scholarship and, in so doing, creates great poten-
tial for new avenues of inquiry. She o3ers glimpses of innovative ways to analyze this 
imagery in the 8nal chapter of part 3, which explores a set of sixteenth-century paint-
ings incorporating visual elements of Shugend" 修験道 practice. Undoubtedly, the 
possibilities stemming from the thought-provoking methodologies that Yamamoto lays 
out will be more fully realized in future scholarship. 
As is common with volumes that collect previously published materials (see, for 
instance, a list of Yamamoto’s publications at the end of the main text), the content 
of the book does not always relate to the purported structure. Chapter titles such as 
“‘Rokud"-e’ no engen”「六道絵」の淵源 (!e Origins of Paintings Depicting the Six 
Paths) to describe the construction of a worship hall dedicated to King Enma com-
missioned by Emperor Toba 鳥羽 (1103–1156; p. 210), or “‘Rokud"-e’ no sh$en” 
「六道絵」の終焉 (!e End of Paintings Depicting the Six Paths) to refer to the images 
produced by Shugend" practitioners (p. 325) imply a linear development of these 
paintings that did not exist. !ese chapters did share the agenda of moving past text-
based analyses of rokud!-e, a theme that could have perhaps been further developed 
and captured in the titles instead, as images of the six paths found in China long 
predate Toba’s Enma Hall, and they also continued to develop well into the modern 
period. 
Finally, a third major contribution of the book is that it elucidates reception his-
tories. Yamamoto astutely recognizes the necessity of diverse approaches to uncover 
the afterlives of these paintings, and dedicates three chapters to three di3erent sets of 
imagery demonstrating that their signi8cances were not frozen at the time of creation 
but that they continued to accrue culturally speci8c meanings over the centuries. For 
instance, in her chapter on the construction of Tokiwa Mitsunaga’s artistic identity, 
Yamamoto argues that the act of viewing the handscrolls formerly in Retired Emperor 
Goshirakawa’s collection and attributing them to this particular artist became a means 
for aristocrats to lay claim to these cultural properties, legitimizing their social status 
(p. 180). Yamamoto’s chapter on $e Battle of Breaking Wind handscroll was a delight 
to read, and there is something satisfying in knowing that even aristocrats like Prince 
B O O K  R E V I E W S 105
Sadafusa found the topic so comical that he endeavored to create an entire new art-
work and story based on Goshirakawa’s original commission. !e last chapter that 
addresses the topic of afterlives is found in part 3 where Yamamoto, using meticulous 
detective work, traces the repair history of the Sh"juraig"ji rokud!-e through the eight 
repair inscriptions left on the scrolls’ rollers. She demonstrates how later generations 
viewed these paintings outside of ritual practice, and o3ers a compelling argument that 
sponsoring the repair of religious imagery could be equivalent to merit-accruing prac-
tices (pp. 281–86).
In conclusion, Yamamoto’s study is ambitious, well-researched, and deeply engag-
ing. It presents a wealth of documentation including both primary sources and sum-
maries of secondary scholarship, and o3ers signi8cant new insights. Other lines of 
reasoning found throughout the book are intriguing and deserve further investigation; 
one such example is the idea that images of the nine stages of decay—which feature 
the body of a dead, decomposing woman—were used not only as meditative tools for 
monks to help sever their attachment to the female form, but also for the religious edi-
8cation of elite women (p. 413). Yamamoto’s book is a welcome addition to the exist-
ing body of literature on images of the grotesque in Japanese Buddhist art, o3ering 
new methodological approaches and avenues of inquiry to consider and explore. 
Behold the Buddha: Religious Meanings of Japanese Buddhist Icons. By James C. Dob-
bins. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2020. 288 pages. Paperback: ISBN 978-
0-8248-7999-0. 
S/%M+& V/06+(
!e 8rst thought that came to mind as I read the introduction and 8rst chapter of 
Behold the Buddha: Religious Meanings of Japanese Buddhist Icons was the matter of 
de8ning “the Buddha,” for this is among the basic challenges one encounters as a 
writer of didactics for Japanese Buddhist objects placed on view in encyclopedic muse-
ums outside of Japan. Author James C. Dobbins states on the 8nal page of his intro-
duction that the intended audiences for his book are “readers interested in Japanese 
Buddhism who may be attracted to its texts . . . while knowing less about its sacred 
imagery, . . . people traveling to Japan and visiting Buddhist temples [who wish to] 
identify and understand . . . images, . . . settings, . . . [and] museumgoers” (p. 10). He 
concludes his 8rst chapter with the hope that his text may enable readers to “behold 
the Buddha” (through the lens of a post-700, pre-1800 generalized Japanese world-
view). Given the emphasis on identi8cation and understanding of imagery, however, I 


BOOK REVIEWS Yamamoto Satomi. Chūsei bukkyō kaiga no zuzōshi: Kyōsetsu emaki, rokudōe, kusōzu (A Genealogy of Imagery in Medieval Buddhist Paintings: From Six Realms of Rebirth to Nine Stages of Decay)

Anna, Andreeva

Andreeva, Anna

B O O K  R E V I E W S 119
larly, one is reborn in a new body after one’s period in the state between rebirths is 
over due to attachment to things around oneself (ky!gai ai 境界愛, p. 450). However, 
he further states that by maintaining the correct state of mind at the moment of death, 
one can create wholesome karma and, assisted by the power of the !ree Treasures, be 
reborn in a buddha realm (pp. 454–55).
Finally, in the last section of the volume entitled “‘Yuishikiron’ jinshish! no honkoku 
dokkai kenky$”『唯識論尋思鈔』の翻刻読解研究 (Transcription and Reading of the 
“Yuishikiron” Jinshish!), Kusunoki provides transcriptions, along with running com-
mentaries, of four topics taken from the Jinshish!: (1) “sh!zai issetsuna” related to 
the Hoss" argument that it takes three asaṃkhya kalpas to attain buddhahood; (2) 
“ichibutsu keizoku” 一仏繋属 ([Being in] the Retinue of One Buddha) concerning 
the question of whether one may or may not study under one buddha during the 
three asaṃkhya kalpas it takes to attain buddhahood; (3) “henge ch!ji j!do umu” 変化 
長時浄土有無 (!e Existence or Nonexistence of the Pure Land Transformed for a 
Long Period of Time) concerning the nature of the Pure Land; and (4) “my!j# shin’y!” 
命終心用 (Points to Keep in Mind at Death) on the proper state of mind of a person 
facing death.
In conclusion, it may be said that Kusunoki’s monograph, the 8rst sustained analy-
sis of Hoss" doctrinal debates, is a groundbreaking study that opens up a whole new 
8eld of research in Japanese Buddhism. At several places in the volume, Kusunoki 
announces that a sequel volume, to be entitled J!kei sen “‘Yuishikiron’ jinshish!” no 
kenky#: Ky!ri hen 貞慶撰『唯識論尋思鈔』の研究：教理篇 (Study of the “Yuishikiron” 
Jinshish! Compiled by J"kei: Volume on Doctrine), is being prepared for publication. 
Everyone interested in the development of Japanese Buddhist thought will look for-
ward with anticipation to this volume as well. 
Shinra My!jin and Buddhist Networks of the East Asian “Mediterranean.” By Sujung 
Kim. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2020. xi + 180 pages. Hardcover: ISBN 
978-0-8248-7799-6.
A%%+ A%&())*+
!e study of medieval Japanese religions and Buddhism continues to yield new dis-
coveries. If one were to seek complexity, vast terrains of imagination, and occasional 
(or more likely, continuously present) bursts of frustration, it is a 8eld that never fails 
to disappoint. All of these aspects stem from the fact that medieval Japan’s religiosity 
has survived to our times in forms and representations that can rarely be accessed or 
T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  2 ,  1120
understood in a linear fashion. !e most common problem is the scarcity of medieval 
primary sources. !is lack is partially due to historical reasons, such as the destruction 
of temples along with their repositories and estates during military battles, uprisings, 
internal strife, and wars. Other textual lacunae are due to the historical peculiarities of 
the recording and transmitting of ritual texts, a feature that has been aptly described as 
the “culture of secrecy” in medieval Japan.1 Where written texts and material data do 
survive, it is often di;cult to trace their provenance and authorship, let alone precisely 
date their composition. A further level of complexity is added by the practices of medi-
eval literary and religious text production and citation. !ese often prompt scholars 
to gasp for air, after struggling and failing to 8nd a quote in a presumed source. All 
of these contingencies naturally create a 8eld of study akin to Deleuze and Guattari’s 
“thousand plateaus,” where the threads connecting people, ideas, places, and deities 
never run neatly and straightforwardly to everyone’s satisfaction, but instead play con-
stant “hide and seek,” shifting precariously and taking time to be discovered, or are 
missed altogether.2
To grasp what is important, one must both hover boldly atop this tricky terrain 
and be prepared to plunge and dig deep, pursuing the tiniest vein of logic that may 
quickly disappear among the textual fragments. Sujung Kim’s 8rst book shows an 
impressive mastery of both skills. Focusing on the Korean deity Shinra My"jin 新羅 
明神 and its itineraries and trans8gurations in medieval Japan, this study urges us to 
adopt the proverbial bird’s eye view. (!e term “Shinra” is the Japanized reading of the 
kingdom of Silla.) To this end, Kim proposes a new scale of vision for a whole mari-
time region linking the coastal and internal areas of Japan, Korea, and China, which 
she calls the “East Asian ‘Mediterranean.’” No doubt, some will question the logic or 
indeed the necessity of bringing the “Mediterranean” into East Asia, and yet, reading 
Kim’s book, it becomes abundantly clear why this must be done. Adopting a broad 
view allows a reader to envision this region as a <exible, moving, circumnavigable, and 
interlinked space inhabited by people, institutions, and deities, which is indeed not 
that dissimilar in its richness and abundance of historical action to the medieval Medi-
terranean.3 !is move allows us to better understand the long-forgotten itineraries of 
deities, like Shinra My"jin, with relative freedom, while avoiding the confusing and 
politically charged modern naming of East Asia’s coastal regions and bodies of water 
(p. 3). !is focus on the maritime sphere, which acts as both a boundary and a con-
necting space, will be all the more welcomed by scholars of Buddhism who have long 
attempted to demonstrate that Buddhism itself is a transcultural force, moving along 
1 Scheid and Teeuwen 2006.
2 Deleuze and Guattari 1993.
3 See Jaspert, Von der Höh, and Oesterle 2018.
B O O K  R E V I E W S 121
the terrestrial roads as well as the sea routes. Kim’s study thus adds signi8cantly to the 
scholarship on Japanese Buddhism and its historic links with Korea, China, and India.4 
Furthermore, for the 8rst time, Kim clearly shows in detail how the Korean com-
munity shaped the religious landscape of early and medieval Japan. Chapters 1 and 2 
focus in particular on the Silla merchants, immigrants, deities, and Japanese Tendai 天
台 monks who had interacted and formed networks in Japan and on the continent and 
brought together religious ideas and practices, reassembling and recon8guring them to 
suit Japan’s local context. !e framework of “East Asian ‘Mediterranean’” is necessary 
here not only to comfortably 8t all these agents in motion, but also to establish the fact 
that certain aspects of “globality” and intense transcultural entanglements had already 
existed in East Asia and Japan long before the European “age of discovery.” As men-
tioned above, this point may already be very familiar to scholars of Buddhist studies, 
but this cannot be emphasized enough in the context of medieval Japan. Still, some of 
these critical notions are only touched upon lightly and could have been treated in a 
more rigorous fashion. !ese include terms such as “contact zone” introduced in the 
1990s by the scholar of Spanish literature Mary Louise Pratt5 and mentioned in the 
book’s introduction (p. 5) but attributed seemingly to the editorial work of Angela 
Schottenhammer, a scholar of East Asia (p. 118, n. 11), and the term “transcultural” 
coined by the Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz as early as the 1940s,6 which 
appears here and there in Kim’s study, without much further discussion. !ese terms 
may seem to complicate the book’s discussion, but in a study of an already complex 
deity such as Shinra My"jin, they deserve as much mention as the already well-known 
theories on cultural memory and imaginaire.
!e reconstruction of Shinra My"jin’s cultural memories, networks, and imaginaire 
is precisely where Kim’s study succeeds. !is may be unsurprising given how much 
inspiration the study of medieval Japanese Buddhism has gained with the recent pub-
lications of other signi8cant books on this topic.7 Chapters 3 and 4 in the second part 
of Kim’s study explore the processes by which Shinra My"jin became entrenched in 
the local contexts of medieval Japan. Here, the book’s emphasis shifts from maritime 
movements to localization and institutional history, producing a persuasive narrative 
of a non-canonical deity gaining strength and power as a protective deity of a Japanese 
Buddhist temple, Miidera 三井寺 (Onj"ji 園城寺). !e rest of the book’s chapters are 
based on a deep excavation and analysis of primary sources, ranging from Shugend" 
修験道 (mountain asceticism) rituals, engi 縁起 records, and local legends to medieval 
literature and performing arts. Most signi8cantly, this book o3ers a rare study of a 
4 See, for example, Como 2008, 2010; Goble 2011; Baroni 2000; Wu 2014; Ja3e 2020.
5 Pratt 1991 and 2007.
6 Ortiz 1995.
7 See, for example, Glassman 2012, Wakabayashi 2012, Faure 2015a, 2015b, and Stone 2016.
T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  2 ,  1122
major Tendai institution (Onj"ji) and more broadly, the Jimon 寺門 branch of Tendai 
Buddhism. Both of these until now have largely eluded a detailed treatment in West-
ern scholarship, which has been more readily concerned with Onj"ji’s rival, Enryakuji 
延暦寺, the head temple of the Sanmon 山門 branch.8 !is is a valuable contribution, 
and chapter 4 in particular shows how the political and institutional aspirations of the 
Onj"ji clerics came to be re<ected in the multifaceted and constantly shifting identity 
of Shinra My"jin. 
!e deep excavations of primary sources and the Japanese medieval imaginaire 
continue in part 3, o3ering an interesting exploration of the Buddhist transforma-
tions of the ancient Silla deity. Chapter 5 examines the associative and ritual links 
between Shinra My"jin and the star cults of esoteric Buddhism, including the worship 
of the deities Sonj"" 尊星王 (a name which Kim has translated as “the monarch of the 
revered star,” p. 11) and My"ken 妙見. !is chapter makes a welcome contribution 
to the still very limited scholarship on the star cults in Japanese Buddhism, o3ering 
not only a treatment of esoteric Buddhist scriptural and ritual sources, but also an 
analysis of star deities’ visual representations and mandalas, which will be of interest to 
art historians. One could ask if the now classic 1988 study9 on Taimitsu 台密 esoteri-
cism by the Japanese scholar Misaki Ry"sh$ 三崎良周 (1921–2010) would have been 
appropriate to cite here to provide even more strength to Kim’s argument, although it 
is welcome to see that his other, slightly di3erent work on esoteric Buddhism and kami 
神 worship,10 has certainly been consulted. Chapters 6 and 7 build up a vista of the 
complex identity of Shinra My"jin, tracing and analyzing its di3erences and similari-
ties with other peregrinating deities of medieval Japan and broader East Asia, namely, 
the deity Susanoo スサノヲ and the “divine old man” (okina 翁), through the tropes of 
pestilence and invasion. !ese chapters remind us once again why the concepts of “East 
Asian ‘Mediterranean’” and the “transcultural” are so appropriate for a book such as 
this. It is impossible to tell the full story of the elusive Shinra My"jin without discuss-
ing the transcultural entanglements mentioned here and above, as well as the linkages 
of coastal and terrestrial Japan through di3erent kinds of waterscapes to a broader 
maritime region. 
!e book is not without a few shortcomings. !ere are some typos, editorial omis-
sions, and misprints (e.g., the captions for 8gures 3 and 4 on pages 63–64 seem to be 
misaligned); and there are a couple of missing or misspelt bibliographical sources (e.g., 
Abramson 2014 is cited on pp. 37 and 126, n. 11, but cannot be located in the bibli-
ography). Other aspects do not relate to the author’s work but to the publisher’s strat-
8 Adolphson 2000.
9 Misaki 1988.
10 Misaki 1992.
B O O K  R E V I E W S 123
egy of printing the intricate and not always well-preserved images of medieval Japanese 
Buddhist art in black and white, resulting in many details that can barely be discerned. 
!e copy of the volume available to this reviewer scarcely allows one to examine 
important details of Shinra My"jin’s iconography, which are indeed crucial to Kim’s 
argument, as for example those concerning 8gure 10. Some scholars of Japanese reli-
gious art may share my slight disappointment concerning such matters. On the other 
hand, these days it is easy enough to access this and some of the other images in the 
currently expanding online collections of East Asian art museums, such as the Cleve-
land Museum of Art, where the abovementioned 8gure 10 is currently preserved.11 
!ese few criticisms aside, Sujung Kim’s 8rst book makes an excellent contribution to 
a complicated 8eld and o3ers a fascinating read for scholars and students of Japanese 
medieval religions, Buddhism, and history.
REFERENCES
Adolphson, Mikael S. 2000. The Gates of Power: Monks, Courtiers, and Warriors in Premodern 
Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
Baroni, Helen J. 2000. Obaku Zen: The Emergence of the Third Sect of Zen in Tokugawa Japan. 
Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
Como, Michael. 2008. Sh!toku: Ethnicity, Ritual and Violence in Japanese Buddhist Tradition. 
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
———. 2010. Weaving and Binding: Immigrant Gods and Female Immortals in Ancient Japan. 
Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Guattari. 1993. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. 
Translated by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Faure, Bernard. 2015a. The Fluid Pantheon: Gods of Medieval Japan, vol. 1. Honolulu: Univer-
sity of Hawai‘i Press.
———. 2015b. Protectors and Predators: Gods of Medieval Japan, vol. 2. Honolulu: University 
of Hawai‘i Press.
Glassman, Hank. 2012. The Face of Jiz!: Image and Cult in Medieval Japanese Buddhism. Hono-
lulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
Goble, Andrew Edward. 2011. The Confluences of Medicine in Medieval Japan: Buddhist Heal-
ing, Chinese Knowledge, Islamic Formulas, and Wounds of War. Honolulu: University of 
Hawai‘i Press.
Jaffe, Richard. 2020. Seeking ,%kyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Bud-
dhism. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Jaspert, Nikolas, Marc Von der Höh, and Jenny Rahel Oesterle. 2013. “Courts, Brokers and 
Brokerage in the Medieval Mediterranean.” In: Cultural Brokers at Mediterranean Courts in 
the Middle Ages, edited by Nikolas Jaspert, Marc Von der Höh, and Jenny Rahel Oesterle. 
Paderborn: Fink. (Online resource. https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/24774/) 
Misaki Ry"sh$ 三崎良周. 1988. Taimitsu no kenky# 台密の研究. Tokyo: S"bunsha.
11 !e image and its details are accessible online at https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.1.
T H E  E A S T E R N  B U D D H I S T  2 ,  1124
———. 1992. Mikky! to jingi shis! 密教と神祇思想. Tokyo: S"bunsha.
Ortiz, Fernando. 1995. Cuban Counterpoint: Tobacco and Sugar. Translated by Harriet de Onís. 
Durham and London: Duke University Press.
Pratt, Mary Louise. 1991. “Arts of the Contact Zone.” Profession, pp. 33–40.
———. Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. 2nd edition. London and New York: 
Routledge, 2007. 
Scheid, Bernhard, and Marc Teeuwen, eds. 2006. The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion. 
London: Routledge.
Stone, Jacqueline I. 2016. Right Thoughts at the Last Moment: Buddhism and Deathbed Practices 
in Early Medieval Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
Wakabayashi, Haruko. 2012. The Seven Tengu Scrolls: Evil and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy in 
Medieval Japanese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
Wu, Jiang. 2014. Leaving for the Rising Sun: Chinese Zen Master Yinyuan and the Authenticity 
Crisis in Early Modern East Asia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.


BOOK REVIEWS Sujung Kim. Shinra Myōjin and Buddhist Networks of the East Asian “Mediterranean”

浦山, あゆみ

ウラヤマ, アユミ

URAYAMA,Ayumi

Japanese

The End of Da Tang sanzang qujing shihua(大唐三蔵取経詩話)

隆寛律師『具三心義』読解（下） 木　越　　　康　 1
　──初段「総明三心義」を読む──
『教行信証』「教巻」諸引文に 村　上　無　量　25
　関する一考察
　──『如来会』・『平等覚経』を中心に──
「誓願一仏乗」試考 藤　元　雅　文　47
　──「現代臨床」という視点にむきあって──
他力・離脱・信 守　中　高　明　65
　──親鸞とエックハルトのあいだ──
名号について 安　田　理　深　85
　──願生論（二十一）──
大乗の仏弟子─天親 加　来　雄　之　100
　親鸞と天親②　荘厳と回向─教えを生きる
ISSN　0583－0567
親
鸞
教
学
　第一一
六
号
　二
〇
二
二
年
一
二
月
一
五
日
発
行
　大谷大学真
宗
学
会
親
鸞
教
学
　第一一六号
　　大谷大
　学
　真
　宗
　学
　会116 大 谷 大 学 真 宗 学 会
他
力
を
た
の
み
た
て
ま
つ
る
悪
人
、
も
っ
と
も
往
生
の
正
因
な
り
。
 
（『
歎
異
抄
』）
127
　
大
谷
大
学
真
宗
学
会
会
則
（
名
称
及
び
事
務
所
）
第
一
条
　
本
会
は
大
谷
大
学
真
宗
学
会
と
称
し
、
事
務
所
を
大
谷
大
学
（
京
都
市
北
区
小
山
上
総
町
二
二
）
に
置
く
。
（
目
的
）
第
二
条
　
本
会
は
真
宗
学
の
研
究
及
び
公
開
を
目
的
と
す
る
。
（
事
業
）
第
三
条
　
本
会
は
次
の
事
業
を
行
う
。
㈠
　
大
会
㈡
　
例
会
㈢
　
機
関
誌
『
親
鸞
教
学
』
の
刊
行
㈣
　
研
究
旅
行
㈤
　
そ
の
他
必
要
な
事
業
（
会
員
）
第
四
条
　
本
会
は
次
の
会
員
を
も
っ
て
組
織
す
る
。㈠
　
正
会
員
　
大
谷
大
学
真
宗
学
専
攻
の
大
学
院
及
び
文
学
部
学
生
㈡
　
特
別
会
員
　
大
谷
大
学
真
宗
学
科
教
員
㈢
　
賛
助
会
員
　
本
会
の
趣
旨
に
賛
同
す
る
者
（
役
員
）
第
五
条
　
本
会
に
次
の
役
員
を
置
く
。
㈠
　
会
　
長
㈡
　
評
議
員
㈢
　
事
務
局
委
員
第
六
条
　
会
長
は
特
別
会
員
よ
り
互
選
し
、
本
会
を
代
表
し
て
会
務
を
統
理
す
る
。
任
期
は
一
年
と
す
る
。
但
し
再
任
を
妨
げ
な
い
。
第
七
条
　
評
議
員
は
正
会
員
よ
り
互
選
し
、
本
会
の
運
営
・
活
動
に
必
要
な
事
項
を
審
議
す
る
。
委
員
の
任
期
は
一
年
と
す
る
。
た
だ
し
再
任
を
妨
げ
な
い
。
第
八
条
　
事
務
局
委
員
に
は
、
特
別
会
員
が
こ
れ
に
あ
た
り
、
会
務
・
会
計
・『
親
鸞
教
学
』
編
集
等
の
事
務
を
掌
理
す
る
。
委
員
の
任
期
は
一
年
と
す
る
。
た
だ
し
再
任
を
妨
げ
な
い
。
二
、『
親
鸞
教
学
』
編
集
委
員
は
、
掲
載
論
文
の
査
読
等
、
学
術
研
究
の
推
進
と
、
そ
の
成
果
の
公
開
に
必
要
な
業
務
を
行
う
。
（
経
費
）
第
九
条
　
本
会
の
経
費
は
会
費
及
び
そ
の
他
の
収
入
に
よ
る
。
会
費
に
つ
い
て
は
別
に
定
め
る
。
（
年
度
）
第
十
条
　
本
会
の
年
度
は
毎
年
四
月
一
日
に
始
ま
り
、
翌
年
三
月
三
十
一
日
に
終
る
。
（
規
約
の
変
更
）
第
十
一
条
　
本
会
則
の
変
更
は
評
議
員
の
会
議
に
附
し
、
総
会
の
二
分
の
一
以
上
の
承
認
を
受
け
る
こ
と
を
必
要
と
す
る
。
但
し
総
会
の
成
立
は
特
別
会
員
・
正
会
員
数
の
三
分
の
一
以
上
の
出
席
を
必
要
と
す
る
。
附
則
①
　
こ
の
会
則
は
、
一
九
六
二
（
昭
和
三
十
七
）
年
四
月
一
日
よ
り
実
施
す
る
。
　
　
②
　
二
〇
〇
六
年
十
一
月
八
日
一
部
改
正
。
128
2022年12月10日　印刷
2022年12月15日　発行
	 親鸞教学 第116号　定価：本体 1,000円（税別）
〒603-8143 京都市北区小山上総町22
編　集　　　　　	大 谷 大 学 真 宗 学 会
発　行　　　　　	　 親 鸞 教 学 編 集 部
発行人　　三	木	彰	円
大谷大学真宗学会　振替01060	-	1	-	8225
〒604-8091 京都市中京区寺町通三条上る
発　売　　　　　	文 栄 堂 書 店
振 替 0	1	0	8	0	-	4	-	2	9	4	8
〒601-8133 京都市南区上鳥羽藁田29
印　刷　　　　　	中 村 印 刷 株 式 会 社
電 話 075-	（682）	-	7	6	6	6	番
執筆者紹介
木　越　　　康　　本学教授
村　上　無　量　　本学任期制助教
藤　元　雅　文　　本学准教授
守　中　高　明　　早稲田大学法学学術院教授
加　来　雄　之　　本学名誉教授
SHINRAN KYOGAKU
The Otani Journal of Shin Buddhism
 Vol. 116 親　鸞　敎　學	 December　2022
CONTENTS
　ARTICLES
Understanding Ryu-kan’s On the Significance of Having  
the Three Minds (Part 2): Reading the First Section  
“A Comprehensive Clarification of the Significance  
of the Three Minds” KIGOSHI Yasushi
A Consideration of the Quotations in the Chapter  
on Teaching in the Kyo-gyo-shinsho-: 
Focusing on the Quotations from the Nyoraie  
and Byo-do-kakukyo- MURAKAMI Muryo-
An Attempt to Consider the Single Buddha Vehicle  
of the Vow: Facing the Perspective  
of “Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies” FUJIMOTO Masafumi
Other Power, abegescheidenheit, and Faith: 
Between Shinran and Meister Eckhart MORINAKA Takaaki
　LECTURE SERIES
About the Name: 
Discussions of the Aspiration for Birth (21) YASUDA Rijin
The Development of Mahayana Buddhism 
Through Shinran’s Eyes:  
Tenjin (Part 2) KAKU Takeshi
THE SHIN BUDDHIST SOCIETY
OTANI UNIVERSITY
KYOTO, JAPAN
隆寛律師『具三心義』読解（下） 木　越　　　康　 1
　──初段「総明三心義」を読む──
『教行信証』「教巻」諸引文に 村　上　無　量　25
　関する一考察
　──『如来会』・『平等覚経』を中心に──
「誓願一仏乗」試考 藤　元　雅　文　47
　──「現代臨床」という視点にむきあって──
他力・離脱・信 守　中　高　明　65
　──親鸞とエックハルトのあいだ──
名号について 安　田　理　深　85
　──願生論（二十一）──
大乗の仏弟子─天親 加　来　雄　之　100
　親鸞と天親②　荘厳と回向─教えを生きる
ISSN　0583－0567
親
鸞
教
学
　第一一
六
号
　二
〇
二
二
年
一
二
月
一
五
日
発
行
　大谷大学真
宗
学
会
親
鸞
教
学
　第一一六号
　　大谷大
　学
　真
　宗
　学
　会116 大 谷 大 学 真 宗 学 会


表紙、目次、奥付

Andō, Reiji

ARTICLES Reading D. T. Suzuki Anew

Jeff, Schroeder

Schroeder, Jeff

ARTICLES On the Absence of Buddhist Ethics: An Examination of Interwar Shin Writings on the Two Truths

一楽, 真

Ichiraku, Makoto

What is Shin Buddhist Studies? Studies That Listen to the Call of the Tathāgata

編集後記

表紙、目次、Contents、奥付

Not a member yet

BOOK REVIEWS Yamamoto Satomi. Chūsei bukkyō kaiga no zuzōshi: Kyōsetsu emaki, rokudōe, kusōzu (A Genealogy of Imagery in Medieval Buddhist Paintings: From Six Realms of Rebirth to Nine Stages of Decay)

BOOK REVIEWS Sujung Kim. Shinra Myōjin and Buddhist Networks of the East Asian “Mediterranean”

The End of Da Tang sanzang qujing shihua(大唐三蔵取経詩話)

表紙、目次、奥付

ARTICLES Reading D. T. Suzuki Anew

ARTICLES On the Absence of Buddhist Ethics: An Examination of Interwar Shin Writings on the Two Truths

What is Shin Buddhist Studies? Studies That Listen to the Call of the Tathāgata

編集後記

表紙、目次、奥付

表紙、目次、Contents、奥付

10,548

10,604