Prince Shotoku

Japanese: 聖徳太子 - しょうとくたいし

A politician and religious thinker in the Asuka period. He was also known as Prince Umayado, Toyotomimi, and Kamitsumiya no O. His father was Prince Tachibana no Toyohi (Emperor Yomei). It is said that the prince was named "Umayado" because his mother, Empress Anahobe no Hashihito, was walking in the gardens of Ikebe no Namitsuki no Miya when she gave birth to him in front of Umayado. Kume Kunitake, a Meiji era historian, noted the similarity to the birth of Christ and hypothesized that knowledge of Nestorianism, a sect of Christianity that was popular in the Tang capital of Chang'an, was brought back to Japan by scholars from the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Emperors Tenji and Tenmu, and was added to the story of the prince's birth. The name "Toyosomi" was chosen because the prince was intelligent and had excellent abilities in adjudicating lawsuits, and the name "Kamimiya" came from the fact that the palace was located in Kamimiya, south of the palace of his father, Emperor Yomei. The name "Shotoku" is the most popular, but it was used after the prince's death to express admiration for the prince's promotion of Buddhism, and was first seen in the inscription on the pedestal of the Hokkiji pagoda (built in 706) that reads "Kamimiya Prince Shotoku-ko."

In 593 (the 1st year of the reign of Empress Suiko), Prince Shotoku became the Crown Prince of Empress Suiko. Minister Soga no Umako had amassed great power by destroying Mononobe no Moriya of Omuraji and then killing Emperor Sushun. The Crown Prince is usually the next in line to the throne, but in the case of Prince Shotoku, he was given the task of taking charge of national affairs when the Imperial family was in crisis, and therefore it is understood that he was given the role of "regent." Prince Shotoku was entrusted with politics and took the position of regent, while Empress Suiko took the position of non-regent. It is believed that the title "Tenno" began to be used in place of the previous title "Okimi" during the reign of Suiko. The title "Tenno" refers to the North Star, which does not move itself and is located at the center of the stars in the heavens, and was therefore appropriate for describing a non-governmental position.

[Ensumi Tamura August 21, 2017]

The prince's politics

The construction of Hoko-ji Temple (Asukadera) in Asuka, which was under the control of Soga no Umako, was completed in 596 and many monks were admitted, including the Goguryeo monk Eji (?-623) and the Baekje monk Eiso (date of birth and death unknown). Prince Shotoku and Umako were able to cooperate with each other in promoting Buddhism. Thus, the prince built Horyu-ji Temple in Ikaruga, Yamato, but it is noteworthy that the name of the temple shared the characters "Buddhism Promotion" with the Hoko-ji Temple built by the Soga clan.

The prince had three close aides. They were Eji of Goguryeo, Kakuka (birth and death years unknown), who was thought to be of Baekje descent, and Hatano Kawakatsu, who was of a clan of immigrants from Silla. Eji was a Buddhist teacher and Kakuka a Confucian teacher, but the three aides, including Hatano Kawakatsu, would have been able to explain the international situation in East Asia to the prince. The three kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla on the Korean peninsula were fighting each other, but these three aides provided a good balance for Prince Shotoku.

For Prince Shotoku, who was in the position of regent, relations with Soga no Umako were quite difficult. In 601, he established a palace in Ikaruga, and then moved from the upper palace in Iware to Ikaruga. It is believed that the reason for this was to move away from Umako's base in Asuka, and to secure a new base leading to Naniwa (Osaka), from which he could develop his own foreign and domestic affairs.

In 589 (the second year of Emperor Sushun's reign), the Sui dynasty unified mainland China, but the crown prince sent envoys to the Sui dynasty four times, in 600, 607, 608, and 614. The mission of the envoys was to transplant cultural artifacts and culture, unlike the Five Kings of Wa in the 5th century, who used humble language to seek confirmation of political control from the Chinese emperor. Therefore, although students studying abroad for long periods and academic monks also accompanied the envoys, it was largely to these students that the full-scale transplantation of continental culture was undertaken.

The Twelve Ranks of Caps were established in 603. Instead of the clan and surname system in which social status was determined by family background, the Twelve Ranks of Caps determined position based on individual ability and talent, and also allowed for promotion, marking the beginning of the later ranking system for government officials. Following the implementation of the Twelve Ranks of Caps, the Seventeen Articles of the Constitution were enacted. If the Twelve Ranks of Caps represented a ranking of government officials and aristocrats under the Emperor System, then the Seventeen Articles of the Constitution were the service discipline and moral code for these officials and aristocrats.

Prince Shotoku's goal was to establish a centralized national system with the emperor at its center. Some say that politics during the reign of Emperor Suiko was a duopoly between Prince Shotoku and Soga no Umako, or that national politics were driven by Umako's leadership, but since Soga no Umako became minister in 572 (the 1st year of Emperor Bidatsu's reign), no particularly groundbreaking policies were implemented. Considering the fact that new domestic and foreign policies were implemented during Prince Shotoku's reign, it should be considered that politics during the reign of Emperor Suiko was led by the prince. For this reason, conflict between the prince and Umako was inevitable.

[Ensumi Tamura August 21, 2017]

Prince's Buddhism

The prince's father, Emperor Yomei, was the first emperor to declare his devotion to Buddhism, but his wish was not realized. Emperor Yomei accepted Buddhism in the hope of recovering from an illness, and sought, so to speak, worldly benefits from Buddhism. However, the prince's acceptance of Buddhism had no tendency to seek worldly benefits, nor any magical element seeking to protect the nation. He instead sought to understand Buddhism in relation to the inner and spiritual aspects of the individual human being. The Seventeen Articles of the Constitution show the Prince's understanding of Buddhism, and in the Tenjukokushucho (Embroidered Scroll of the Land of Heaven), which is said to be the Prince's words, "The world is false, but only Buddha is true," and in the Chronicles of Jomei before his accession, "Do not do any evil, but do all good deeds." There is also the "Sangyogisho" (Commentary on the Three Sutras) by the Lotus Sutra, Vimalakirti, and Shangri-La, which is said to have been written when he lectured on the sutras to Empress Suiko, but it remains to be seen whether this "Commentary on the Three Sutras" was written by the Prince, and if it was written by him, which parts are his own interpretations.

[Ensumi Tamura August 21, 2017]

Prince worship

Prince Shotoku died at Ikaruga Palace on February 22, 622 (the 30th year of the reign of Empress Suiko) (according to the Japanese chronicles, he died on February 5 of the previous year). He was 49 years old. His body was buried in the Shinaga cemetery in Kawachi. His grave still exists in the grounds of Eifuku-ji Temple in Taishi-cho, Minamikawachi-gun, Osaka Prefecture. Faith in Prince Shotoku was formed by people who admired him, and a statue of him in pensive pose represented the image of the deceased prince. The statue of Prince Siddharta, the predecessor of Shakyamuni, in pensive pose, overlapped with the statue of Prince Shotoku. In the 8th century, Prince Shotoku came to be revered as the "Buddha of Japan." There are more than 20 extant biographies and illustrated chronicles of Prince Shotoku that were created in the Kamakura period or earlier. As time went on, the works became richer in content and took on the form of biographies, but in Fujiwara no Kanesuke's "Denryaku of Prince Shotoku," the first biography to be a complete, unified whole, the image of the prince is filled with absurd and unbelievable tales and legends.

[Ensumi Tamura August 21, 2017]

"Tamura Encho, History of Japanese Buddhism, Volume 1 (1982, Hozokan)" ▽ "Tamura Encho, Prince Shotoku (Chuko Shinsho)"

Prince Shotoku
"Portrait of Prince Kamimiya" Copy owned by the Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo © Historiographical Institute, University of Tokyo ">

Prince Shotoku

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

飛鳥(あすか)時代の政治家、また宗教的思想家。厩戸(うまやど)皇子、豊聡耳(とよとみみ)、上宮(かみつみや)王ともいう。父は橘豊日(たちばなのとよひ)皇子（用明(ようめい)天皇）。母の穴穂部間人(あなほべのはしひと)皇后が、池辺雙槻宮(いけのへのなみつきのみや)の庭を歩いているとき、厩戸の前で皇子を出生したので「厩戸」の名がつけられたという。明治時代の歴史学者久米邦武(くめくにたけ)は、キリストの生誕に類似することに注目し、唐の都長安(ちょうあん)に流行していたキリスト教の一派景教(けいきょう)（ネストリウス派）の知識を天智(てんじ)・天武(てんむ)天皇のころ大唐学問僧が日本に持ち帰り、太子の誕生説話に付会したのであろうと推定した。「豊聡耳」の名は、太子が聡明(そうめい)で訴訟裁定に優れた能力をもつことにちなみ、「上宮」の名は、その宮が父用明天皇の宮の南、上宮の地にあったことによる。なお「聖徳」の名は、もっともポピュラーであるが、仏法を興隆した太子賛仰の意味を込めて、太子の死後用いられたもので、法起寺(ほっきじ)塔の露盤(ろばん)銘に「上宮太子聖徳皇」とあるのが初見である（706年造営）。

　593年（推古天皇1）に、聖徳太子は推古(すいこ)女帝の皇太子となった。大臣(おおおみ)の蘇我馬子(そがのうまこ)は、大連(おおむらじ)の物部守屋(もののべのもりや)を滅ぼし、さらに崇峻(すしゅん)天皇を殺して、権力を振るっていた。皇太子は通例、次期皇位継承者であるが、聖徳太子の場合、天皇家の危機にあたり、国政を担当する任務が与えられており、したがって「摂政(せっしょう)」に比重が置かれていたと解される。聖徳太子は政治をゆだねられて執政の座につき、一方推古天皇は、不執政の座に上った。「天皇」の称号が、これまでの「大王(おおきみ)」にかわって用いられるのは、推古朝のころとされているが、自らは動かず、しかも天界のもろもろの星の中心に位置する北極星をさす「天皇」の称号は、不執政の座を表すのに適切であったと考えられる。

［田村圓澄　2017年8月21日］

太子の政治

蘇我馬子の建立にかかる飛鳥の法興寺(ほうこうじ)（飛鳥寺）は、596年に完成し、高句麗(こうくり)僧の慧慈(えじ)（？―623）、百済(くだら)僧の慧聡（生没年不詳）をはじめ、多くの僧が入った。仏法興隆について、聖徳太子と馬子とは協力することができた。こうして太子は大和(やまと)の斑鳩(いかるが)に法隆寺を建てるが、蘇我氏の建てた法興寺と、「仏法興隆」の文字を分かち合っていたことが注意される。

　太子には3人の側近があった。高句麗の慧慈、百済系と思われる覚哿(かくか)（生没年不詳）、それに新羅(しらぎ)系渡来氏族である秦河勝(はたのかわかつ)であった。慧慈は仏教の、また覚哿は儒学の師であったが、秦河勝を含め3人の側近は、東アジアの国際情勢について太子に説明することができたであろう。高句麗、百済、新羅の朝鮮半島の三国は互いに争っていたが、聖徳太子の側近としてこの3人はバランスがとれていた。

　執政の座にある聖徳太子にとって、蘇我馬子との関係には少なからぬ困難があった。601年に斑鳩に宮をつくり、ついで磐余(いわれ)の上宮から斑鳩に移ったのは、馬子の本拠である飛鳥から離れ、しかも難波(なにわ)（大阪）に通ずる新しい拠点を確保することにより、独自の外交、内政を展開するためであったと考えられる。

　589年（崇峻天皇2）に隋(ずい)は中国大陸を統一したが、太子は、600年、607年、608年、614年の4回、隋に使者を送った。使者の任務は、辞を卑(ひく)くして中国の皇帝から政治支配権の確認を求めた5世紀の倭(わ)の五王とは異なり、文物、文化の移植にあった。したがって長期留学の学生、学問僧も同行したが、大陸文化の本格的な移植はこれらの留学生に負うところが多かった。

　603年に冠位十二階が制定された。家柄によって身分が決まる氏姓制度にかわり、個人の力量、才能によって地位を決める冠位十二階制は、昇進も可能であり、後の官人の位階制の始まりとなった。冠位十二階の施行に続いて憲法十七条を制定した。冠位十二階が、天皇制の下での官人貴族の序列化であるとすれば、憲法十七条は、官人貴族の服務規律であり、道徳規範であった。

　聖徳太子が目ざしたところは、天皇を中心とする中央集権国家体制の確立であった。推古朝の政治について、聖徳太子と蘇我馬子との二頭政治であるとか、あるいは馬子の主導によって国政は推進されたとする見解があるが、572年（敏達天皇1）に蘇我馬子が大臣となって以来、とくに画期的な政策を断行したことがなく、聖徳太子の在世中に内政・外交の新政策が集中している事実から考えれば、推古朝の政治は太子によって指導されたとみるべきである。それだけに太子と馬子との対立は不可避であった。

［田村圓澄　2017年8月21日］

太子の仏教

太子の父用明天皇は、仏教帰依(きえ)を表明した最初の天皇であったが、その願望は実現しなかった。用明天皇の仏教受容は、病気の平癒を期待したのであり、いわば現世利益(げんぜりやく)を仏教に求めたのであるが、太子の仏教受容には、現世利益を求める傾向も、鎮護国家を求める呪術(じゅじゅつ)的要素もなく、仏教を人間の個人の内面的・精神的なものとの関連において理解しようとするものであった。太子の仏教理解を示すものに憲法十七条があり、太子のことばとして伝えられる天寿国繍帳(てんじゅこくしゅうちょう)に載せられた「世間虚仮(せけんはこけなるも)、唯仏是真(ただほとけのみこれまことなり)」と、舒明(じょめい)即位前紀に記された「諸悪莫作(もろもろのあしきことをばなせそ)、諸善奉行(もろもろのよきわざをおこなへ)」とがある。また推古天皇のために経典を講義したときにできたという法華(ほけ)、維摩(ゆいま)、勝鬘(しょうまん)の『三経義疏(さんぎょうぎしょ)』があるが、この『三経義疏』については、太子の著作であるか否か、また太子の著作であるとして、どの部分が太子の独自の解釈であるかは、なお検討を必要とする。

［田村圓澄　2017年8月21日］

太子信仰

622年（推古天皇30）2月22日に、聖徳太子は斑鳩宮で亡くなった（紀は前年2月5日没）。49歳であった。遺体は河内(かわち)の磯長(しなが)の墓地に葬られた。墓は大阪府南河内郡太子町の叡福寺(えいふくじ)境内に現存する。太子を思慕する人々により聖徳太子信仰が形づくられるが、半跏思惟(はんかしい)像が亡き太子のイメージを表した。釈迦(しゃか)の前身である悉達(しった)太子の像であった半跏思惟像は、聖徳太子像と重なった。そして8世紀には、太子は「日本の釈迦」と仰がれることとなる。鎌倉時代およびそれ以前に成立した太子の伝記・絵伝は、現存のものだけでも20種を超える。それらは、時代を下るにしたがって内容を豊富にし、伝記としての体裁を整えるが、統一的完結的なまとまりをもつ最初の伝記である藤原兼輔(ふじわらのかねすけ)の『聖徳太子伝暦(でんりゃく)』において、その太子像は荒唐無稽(こうとうむけい)な異聞奇瑞(きずい)で満たされている。

［田村圓澄　2017年8月21日］

『田村圓澄著『日本仏教史　第1巻』（1982・法蔵館）』▽『田村圓澄著『聖徳太子』（中公新書）』