Posthumous name - Kaimyo

Originally, it was a name given to those who received the precepts and entered the Buddhist priesthood. It is equivalent to the given name (imina) of a monk who has entered the Buddhist priesthood. It is also called homyo (law name), hogo (law title), or hoki (law name), but originally it was called homyo (law name). After the Middle Ages, the custom of those who entered the Buddhist priesthood having various religious names arose, and the Jodo Shinshu sect, which originally did not have a term for a kaimyo and advocated a non-precept sect, appeared, and the term kaimyo became common to distinguish it from these religious names and homyo. When entering the Buddhist path, everyone, not just monks, must receive the precepts and a homyo, but this system did not exist in India and was practiced in China and Japan. Monks are given their kaimyo at the ordination ceremony, and lay people are given their kaimyo at the precept ceremony or the initiation ceremony. Originally, a kaimyo was something that was given to someone while they were still alive, but in later times, it was usually thought of as a posthumous name, given by a monk (soryo) at the time of the funeral. This comes from the fact that in later times, even those who had not converted to Buddhism in life were treated as Buddhist devotees after death, and the formal ceremony of receiving the precepts was carried out, and funerals were held in the same way as for those who belonged to the Buddhist sect. Generally, the posthumous name of a Buddhist monk is given as follows: for men, Daikoji, Layman, Zenjomon, Shinnan, Shinji; for women, Daishi, Zenjoni, Shinni, Shinnyo; for children, Doji, Zendoji, Gaiji, Dojo, Gainyo; and for those of particularly noble status, In, Inden, Jiden, etc. The first appearance of Ingo is said to be at Tojiin, the temple of Ashikaga Takauji. In the case of Jodo Shinshu, each sect has its own tradition, such as adding the single character "Shaku" to a two-character posthumous name to make it the posthumous name.

[Rikiyama Ishikawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

本来は戒を受けて仏門に入った者に与えられる名。得度(とくど)出家者の場合の諱(いみな)に相当する。法名(ほうみょう)、法号(ほうごう)、法諱(ほうき)などともよばれるが、もとは法名といわれていた。中世以後、得度した者が種々の道号をもつという慣習がおこったことや、また本来は戒名という名辞をもたない、無戒の宗風を標榜(ひょうぼう)する浄土真宗が現れるなどし、それらの道号や法名と区別する必要から戒名という呼び名が一般化された。仏道に入るに際しては、出家者に限らず、かならず受戒し法号を受けるが、この制はインドにはなく、中国、日本で行われるようになったものである。そして出家者は得度式に、在俗者は授戒会(じゅかいえ)または帰敬式(きぎょうしき)のときに戒名が授けられる。本来、戒名はこのように生前に授けられるものであったが、後世になると、死者に対して、葬儀を行う際に僧侶(そうりょ)がつける（安名(あんみょう)）、いわば死後の名前という認識が通常となった。これは後代、生前になんら仏教に入信していない者も、死後は仏教帰依(きえ)者として扱い、形式的に授戒作法を行い、仏門に属する者と同様に葬儀を執行したことに由来する。戒名は一般に、男性の場合は法名の下に大居士(だいこじ)、居士、禅定門(ぜんじょうもん)、信男(しんなん)、信士(しんじ)、女性の場合は大姉(だいし)、禅定尼(に)、信尼(しんに)、信女(しんにょ)、子供には童子(どうじ)、禅童子(ぜんどうじ)、孩児(がいじ)、童女、孩女(がいにょ)などの位号をつけ、とくに高貴な身分の人には院、院殿(いんでん)、寺殿(じでん)などをつけた。院号の初出は足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)の等持院(とうじいん)とされる。浄土真宗の場合は、二字の法名に「釈(しゃく)」の一字を冠して死後の名とするなど各宗派にそれぞれの伝承がある。

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