Jien

A Tendai Buddhist monk and poet in the early Kamakura period. His posthumous name was Jichin. His father was the regent Fujiwara no Tadamichi, and his mother was the daughter of Fujiwara no Nakamitsu and his wife Kaga. He was the youngest brother of Kujo Kanezane with the same mother. He was born on April 15, 2nd year of Kyuju. In 1165 (Eiman 1), at the age of 11, he entered Enryaku-ji Temple and became a disciple of Shoren-in Monzeki's Prince Kakukai (1134-1181). At the age of 13, he became a monk and studied esoteric Buddhism under the name Dokai. In 1181 (Youwa 1), he changed his name to Jien. After the downfall of the Taira clan, his elder brother Kanezane became regent for Emperor Gotoba with the backing of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and with his support, Jien became the head priest of Tendai in 1192 (Kenkyu 3) at the age of 37, and a personal monk to the emperor. He also formed a friendship with Yoritomo, and established himself in the political and Buddhist worlds. He seized the opportunity to realize his original goal of promoting Buddhism, and devoted his life to prayer for 30 years between the Kenkyu and Jokyu periods (1190-1222). In addition to praying for the salvation of the countless people who had died in battle since the Hogen Rebellion (1156) and those who had been killed without a crime, Jien's true talent lay in praying for peace in a new era. In 1193, he resigned as head priest and lived at Daisenhoin, a prayer hall he established in Yoshimizu, Higashiyama, where he was known as Yoshimizu Sojo, but he was subsequently appointed head priest of Tendai three more times, for a total of four times. He had a deep relationship with Emperor Gotoba as a mentor and was also deeply devoted to him as a poet, but they disagreed over samurai politics. Sensing danger in the Emperor's policies, he finally left him in 1219 (Jokyu 1). He served as head priest of Shitennoji Temple until his death. After the Jōkyū War (1221), he built a new Daisanpoin temple and resumed his religious practice as a prayer for the Imperial Court and the shogunate, but he died of illness on September 15, 1281 in Sakamoto at the foot of Mount Hiei.

Jien's academic lineage was in the Taimitsu Sammai school, and he was particularly influenced by the ideas of Annen, and he wrote many books on teachings. He also had a strong interest in politics, and wrote the seven volumes of the Gukansho. His love of literature and knowledge resulted in many waka poems, including over 6,000 poems in his personal anthology Shugyokushu alone, and 92 of his poems have been included in the Shin Kokin Wakashu, the highest number of any living poet. Emperor Gotoba praised his poems, saying that "Saigyo's style is the best, and he does not choose any other master, but rather likes the way they are beautiful and dignified." It is said that he was the one who patronized the creation of The Tale of the Heike.

[Muneto Taga, August 21, 2017]

The people of this world are floating without a care.

"Study of New Ancient and Modern Poets" by Jun Kubota (1973, University of Tokyo Press)" ▽ "Study of Priest Jizhen and the Shugyokushu" by Fujiko Manaka (1974, Daiichi Shobo)" ▽ "Study of Jien" by Sojun Taga (1980, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉初期の天台宗の僧、歌人。諡(おくりな)は慈鎮(じちん)。父は摂政(せっしょう)藤原忠通(ふじわらのただみち)、母は藤原仲光(なかみつ)の女(むすめ)、女房加賀。九条兼実(くじょうかねざね)の同母末弟。久寿(きゅうじゅ)2年4月15日の生まれ。1165年（永万1）11歳で延暦寺(えんりゃくじ)に入り、青蓮院門跡(しょうれんいんもんぜき)の覚快(かくかい)法親王（1134―1181）の弟子となる。13歳で出家し、道快(どうかい)と称して密教を学んだ。1181年（養和1）慈円と改名。兄の兼実が平氏滅亡後、源頼朝(みなもとのよりとも)の後援で後鳥羽(ごとば)天皇の摂政となるや、その推挽(すいばん)により1192年（建久3）37歳で天台座主(ざす)となり、天皇の御持僧となった。頼朝とも親交を結んで政界・仏教界に地位を築き、仏教興隆の素志実現の機を得、建久(けんきゅう)～承久(じょうきゅう)（1190～1222）の間30年にわたる祈祷(きとう)の生涯を展開する。保元(ほうげん)の乱（1156）以来の無数の戦死者や罪なくして殺された人々の得脱(とくだつ)の祈りに加え、新時代の泰平を祈るところに慈円の本領があった。1193年、座主を辞し、東山の吉水(よしみず)の地に営んだ祈祷道場大懺法院(だいせんほういん)に住んでいたため吉水僧正(そうじょう)とよばれたが、その後も三度、つごう四度天台座主に補せられている。後鳥羽院とは、このように師檀(しだん)の関係も深く、また歌人としても深く傾倒しあっていた間柄であったが、武家政治に関しては対立。彼は院の方針に危険を感じ、ついに1219年（承久1）院の前を去る。以後入滅まで四天王寺別当の地位にあった。承久の乱（1221）後、新たに大懺法院を整備して、朝廷と幕府とのための祈りとして行法を再開するが、病のため嘉禄(かろく)元年9月15日、比叡山(ひえいざん)の麓(ふもと)の坂本で没した。

　慈円の学統は台密三昧(さんまい)流をくみ、とくに安然(あんねん)の思想を受けること深く、教学の著も多い。政治にも強い関心をもち、『愚管抄(ぐかんしょう)』7巻を著した。その文学の愛好と造詣(ぞうけい)とは数多くの和歌となり、家集『拾玉集(しゅうぎょくしゅう)』だけでも6000首以上を数え、『新古今和歌集』には現存歌人として最高の92首がとられている。後鳥羽院は、その歌を「西行がふり」とし、「すぐれたる歌はいづれの上手にもをとらず、むねとめつらしき様を好まれき」と推賞している。『平家物語』成立の背景には彼の保護があったとも伝えられている。

［多賀宗隼　2017年8月21日］

　おほけなくうき世の民におほふ哉(かな)わかたつ杣(そま)にすみそめの袖(そで)

『久保田淳著『新古今歌人の研究』（1973・東京大学出版会）』▽『間中富士子著『慈鎮和尚及び拾玉集の研究』（1974・第一書房）』▽『多賀宗隼著『慈円の研究』（1980・吉川弘文館）』

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