Ganjin

A monk from the Tang Dynasty in China. The founder of the Ritsu sect in Japan. He is honored by titles such as Kakai Daishi and Toudaiwajo. He was from Yangzhou (Jiangsu Province). His common surname was Junyu. He became a monk under Chiman of the Dayun Temple in Yangzhou, received the Bodhisattva precepts from Dogan (654-717) of the Nanzan Vinaya, and later received full precepts from Kokei as the preceptor at the Jissen Temple in Chang'an. He lived in Luoyang and Chang'an for five years, during which time he studied the Tripitaka and was taught Vinaya by Dosen's disciple Rongsai and Man'i's disciple Tairyo, and also studied Tendai. After returning to Yangzhou, he lectured on Vinaya at the Daming Temple, where he was revered as the monk of Jiang Jun, and his fame spread. Around that time, in 733 (Tenpyo 5), the Japanese monks Yoei (?-749) and Fusho (date of birth and death unknown) traveled to China in search of a teacher to teach the Vinaya. In 742, they visited Ganjin and asked him to recruit his disciples to travel to Japan and spread the Vinaya. This prompted Ganjin, determined to sacrifice his life for the sake of spreading the Law, to come to Japan himself, leading his disciples. Before arriving in Japan, he failed five times in his attempts to cross the sea, sometimes before the attempt was completed due to betrayal by a monk accompanying him or interference from his disciples, sometimes after setting out to sea he was tossed about by the wind and waves and shipwrecked, and sometimes he endured hardships by being swept away to the distant island of Hainan, and it took him 12 years to finally reach Japan. During that time, he witnessed the deaths of Eiyo and his disciple Shogen, and he himself became blind. 36 people died during his journey by sea or overland, and more than 200 people abandoned his hopes and left him. However, even during his repeated failed crossings, Ganjin worked hard to evangelize and teach in various places. Ganjin's biography summarizes his activities during his time in Tang Dynasty, reporting that he lectured on various Buddhist scriptures over 100 times, built temples, performed memorial services for monks from all over the world, created countless Buddhist statues, copied all Buddhist scriptures 30 times, and bestowed precepts on over 40,000 people.

In 753 (Tenpyo Shoho 5), he arrived in Bonotsu, Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture), and entered Kyoto the following year in 754. Emperor Shomu appreciated his efforts and, by imperial decree, delegated the authority to bestow and transmit the precepts to Ganjin, and he himself, with Ganjin as his precept master, stood on a platform in front of the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple to receive the precepts. The existing monks also abandoned their old precepts and received the precepts, marking the establishment of a system of three masters and seven witnesses by ten monks, which had never been performed in Japan before. The following year, in 755, Kaidan-in was also built, and a system of bestowing precepts, replacing the previous docho, was established. In 756 (Tenpyo Shoho 8) after the death of the retired emperor, he was appointed Daisozu (Great Priest), but was relieved of this position due to old age and devoted himself to teaching the precepts, receiving the title of Daiwajo (Lord of Yamato). In 759 (Tenpyo Hoji 3), he turned the former residence of Prince Niitabe, which he had been given, into a temple, named it Toshodaiji, and established a system of opening it to monks as a training center for the study of the precepts. In addition, by providing financial support for Fusatsu (the practice of Buddhist teachings) at official temples, he fostered a sense of community in Buddhism, and for the first time, the so-called religious organization (Sangha) was established in both name and reality. Among his later works, the Tendai Classics became the basis for Saicho's founding of the Tendai sect, and the original manuscripts of the father and son Wang Xizhi had a great influence on the rise of calligraphy. His disciples who came to Japan with him included Hoshin (709-778) and Shitaku (date of birth and death unknown). Hoshin succeeded Kaidan-in, and Shitaku wrote a three-volume biography of Ganjin, Datang Denkaishi Someiki Yamato Jo Ganjin Den (abbreviated as Yamato Joden). This book no longer exists, but a one-volume summary of it, Toseiden, by Mahito Genkai (Oumi Mifune), does exist. Ganjin's grave is at Toshodaiji Temple, and the National Treasure statue of Ganjin is enshrined in the Kaisan-do Hall.

[Mizumaro Ishida January 19, 2017]

"Ando Sarao's 'Ganjin' (1967/New edition, 1989, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "Ishida Mizumaro's 'Ganjin - His Thought on the Precepts' (1974, Okura Shuppan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国唐代の僧。日本の律宗(りっしゅう)の祖。過海(かかい)大師、唐大和上(とうだいわじょう)などと尊称される。揚州（江蘇(こうそ)省）の人。俗姓は淳于(じゅんう)。揚州大雲寺の智満(ちまん)について出家、南山律(なんざんりつ)の道岸(どうがん)（654―717）によって菩薩戒(ぼさつかい)を受け、その後、長安の実際寺で恒景(こうけい)を戒和上(かいわじょう)として具足戒(ぐそくかい)を受けた。洛陽(らくよう)、長安に住すること5年、その間に三蔵(さんぞう)を学び、道宣(どうせん)の弟子融済(ゆうさい)、満意の門人大亮(たいりょう)らに律学の教えを受け、また天台も兼学した。揚州に帰ったのちは大明寺にあって律を講じ、江准(こうわい)の化主(けしゅ)と仰がれ、その名声はとどろいた。そのころ733年（天平5）に日本僧の栄叡(ようえい)（？―749）、普照(ふしょう)（生没年不詳）が授戒伝律の師を求めて入唐(にっとう)していたが、742年に二人が鑑真を訪れ、弟子のなかに日本に渡って律を伝える人がいないか、募ってもらうよう請うた。それが機縁となり、鑑真は弘法(ぐほう)のため不惜身命(ふしゃくしんみょう)の思いに燃え、自ら弟子を率いて来朝した。来朝まで5回も渡海に失敗し、あるときは同行の僧の密告や弟子の妨害によって未然に終わり、あるときは海に乗り出してから風浪にもてあそばれて難破し、あるときは遠く海南島に流される労苦を味わい、12年の歳月を要して来朝した。その間、栄叡や弟子祥彦(しょうげん)の死に会い、自らも失明するに至っており、海路、陸上の旅で世を去ったもの36人、望みを放棄して彼のもとを去ったもの200余人に及んだ。しかし渡海の失敗が重なる間も、鑑真は各地で伝道教化(きょうげ)に励んだ。鑑真の伝記には在唐中の活動が総括されており、百数十遍の各種律典を講じ、寺舎を建立し、十方(じっぽう)の衆僧を供養し、さらに、仏像をつくること無数、一切経(いっさいきょう)を書写すること30部、戒を授けること4万有余に及んだ、と伝える。

　753年（天平勝宝5）薩摩(さつま)（鹿児島県）坊津(ぼうのつ)に到着、翌754年入京した。聖武(しょうむ)上皇はその労をねぎらい、詔(みことのり)して鑑真に授戒伝律の権限を委任し、自ら鑑真を戒師として東大寺大仏の前で登壇受戒した。また従来の僧も旧戒を捨てて受戒し、ここに、かつて日本で行われたことのない10人の僧による三師七証(さんししちしょう)の受戒が成立した。翌755年には戒壇院(かいだんいん)もつくられ、それまでの度牒(どちょう)にかわって戒牒(かいちょう)を授ける制度が確立された。上皇崩御(ほうぎょ)後の756年（天平勝宝8）には大僧都(だいそうず)に任じられたが、老齢のためその任を解かれ、戒律の教導に専念することとなり、大和上(だいわじょう)の称が与えられた。759年（天平宝字3）、かねて与えられていた新田部(にいたべ)親王の旧宅をもって寺とし、これを唐招提寺(とうしょうだいじ)と称し、戒律研鑽(けんさん)の道場として衆僧に開放する制をたてた。また官寺における布薩(ふさつ)のための経済的裏づけを行うことと相まって、仏教の協同体意識を養い、いわゆる教団（僧伽(そうぎゃ)、サンガ）が初めて名実ともに確立するに至った。彼が将来したもののうち、天台典籍(てんせき)はのちに最澄(さいちょう)の天台宗開創の基盤となり、王羲之(おうぎし)父子の真蹟(しんせき)は書道の興隆に多大の影響を与えた。ともに来朝した弟子に法進(はっしん)（709―778）、思託(したく)（生没年不詳）などがあり、法進は戒壇院を継ぎ、思託は鑑真の伝記『大唐伝戒師僧名記大和上鑑真伝』（略称『大和上伝』）3巻を書いた。この書は現存しないが、これを略述した真人元開(まひとげんかい)（淡海三船(おうみのみふね)）の『東征伝』1巻が現存する。鑑真の墓所は唐招提寺にあり、開山堂には国宝の鑑真像を安置する。

［石田瑞麿　2017年1月19日］

『安藤更生著『鑑真』（1967／新装版・1989・吉川弘文館）』▽『石田瑞麿著『鑑真――その戒律思想』（1974・大蔵出版）』

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