Summary and Comments on "New Asian Buddhist History 11 Japan I: Foundations of Japanese Buddhism" - A recommended reference book to learn surprising facts about the reception of Buddhism in Japan and Prince Shotoku!
I would like to introduce "New Asian Buddhist History 11 Japan I: Foundations of Japanese Buddhism," edited by Fumishi Sueki, Goji Matsuo, Hiroo Sato, Jun Hayashi, and Yoshitaka Okubo, published in 2010 by Kosei Shuppansha.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
The arrival of Buddhism opened up Japanese culture not only in ideology but also in various other fields such as temple architecture, Buddhist art, and Buddhist literature.
AmazonProducts Page.
Buddhist events such as Uran-bon and Higan (the equinoctial week) are still passed down from generation to generation as annual events in many religious sects.
The development of Buddhism from the introduction of Buddhism, which laid the foundation of Japanese Buddhism, to the Heian period (794-1185), when Japanese Buddhism took shape, is discussed from various perspectives and its depths are explored.
Let me say this first.
This book, "New Asian Buddhist History 11 Japan I: Foundations of Japanese Buddhism" is extremely interesting!
So far in this blog, the first in the "History of Buddhism in New Asia" seriesA History of Buddhism in New Asia 01 India I: Background to the Emergence of Buddhism.I've been introduced to a number of books since and all of them have been "What! Really?!" I have introduced a number of reference books from the
And among them, this work, "New Asian Buddhist History 11 Japan I: Foundations of Japanese Buddhism," was one of the most stimulating and interesting.
I once learned in a Japanese history class that Buddhism was introduced to Japan in 538 or 552. Even now, the phrase "Garbage is here" remains strong in my mind. At the time, I took it without question, but now I laugh to think that it is quite a thing to say "Garbage is here" about Buddhism, even if it is just a play on words.
The date of the arrival of Buddhism in 552 is based on the "Nihon Shoki" (Chronicles of Japan). However, the "Nihon Shoki" was a troublesome book, which was not merely a compilation of history, but had a very strong aspect of creating a mythology for the management of the nation. In other words, what is narrated here is not a historical fact, but rather a history that could be called a national myth.
I cannot say more here, but I was truly astonished to learn the other side of this theory of the arrival of Buddhism in 552. People and ideas familiar to those interested in Buddhism and Japanese history, such as the Soga clan, the Mononobe clan, Prince Shotoku, and the Latter Day Sabbath, appear before us in a new guise. This is shocking. It was especially eye-popping shock to see the Latter Day of the Law ideology as the main story of statecraft.
I also appreciated learning more about other Buddhism of the Nara and Heian periods. You can also learn about superstars such as Saicho and Kukai.
It was also very interesting to learn what the history of Shinto/Buddhist syncretism, which is often talked about in common parlance, actually was. It is often said that Buddhism and Shintoism coexisted in Japan, but we learned that this saying itself is actually not true. In this book, you will also learn where our image of Shinto/Buddhist syncretism and Honji-dujaku came from and what kind of background they came from. This book is full of surprises. I am already full.
In this "New Asian Buddhist History" series, specialists in various fields will look at Buddhism from various perspectives. This series will help you think about Buddhism, its historical background, and its history from angles that we are not usually aware of. It is also very useful as a guide to deepen your interest in the genre you are interested in, as it includes a variety of recommended reference books. I have also been able to connect with many reference books through this series.
There are countless books on Japanese history and Japanese Buddhism. With such a myriad of books, many people are probably at a loss as to what to read first. Actually, I am one of them. In India and Sri Lanka, the number of books is limited to some extent, but this is not the case when it comes to Japan. Moreover, history and thought are constantly being updated with new discoveries. What makes it even more difficult is the danger of whether or not the books themselves are trustworthy. It is inevitable that there will be many books that are ideologically biased or written with some kind of agenda.
In this current situation, where it is difficult to even choose a book, this book is a wonderful compass. This book is an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of Japanese Buddhism. I highly recommend this book. I highly recommend you to pick up a copy.
This is "New Asian Buddhist History 11 Japan I: Foundations of Japanese Buddhism" - A recommended reference book to learn surprising facts about the reception of Buddhism in Japan and Prince Shotoku! The above is "New Asian Buddhist History 11: Japan I. The Foundations of Japanese Buddhism" - A recommended reference book to learn surprising facts about the reception of Buddhism in Japan and Prince Shotoku!
Next Article.
Click here to read the previous article.
Related Articles
