Prince Shotoku's Biography

A biography of Prince Shotoku from the Heian period. Commonly known as the Denryaku. Numerous legends and biographies of Prince Shotoku were all collected here, and once again circulated from here. The theory that it was written by Fujiwara no Kanesuke in 917 (Engi 17) and that it was written by Fujiwara no Yusetsu was once accepted as the accepted theory, but today this is strongly questioned, and the date of its creation and the author are being reexamined from scratch.

The "Honcho Getsurei" (Gekkei) is speculated to have been written during the Engi era (901-923), and the "Biography of Prince Shotoku" quoted in the "Seijyoryaku" (Seiji Yoraku) is thought to have been written around 1008 (Kanko 5), and the "Biography of Prince Shotoku compiled by the Taira clan" referenced in the "Sanbo Ekotoba" (Picture Book of the Three Treasures) written in 984 (Eikan 2) all appear to have a deep connection to the Denryaku (Denryaku calendar) judging from their contents. They may be the original form of the Denryaku or a tradition that preceded it. Going further into these relationships, there has been a specific proposal that sometime before 984, there was a one-volume 'Taira Clan's Biography of Prince Shotoku' (which states that the prince died at age 49), which was expanded (by adding missing calendar data to make it a 'Biography') to create a two-volume 'Biography of Prince Shotoku' (the first volume ends when the prince was 37 years old and he died at age 50) in 992 (Shoreki 3), and that by the end of the Heian period at the latest, it was finalized in the format that we have today (the first volume ends when the prince was 36 years old).

[Takao Shinkawa]

"The Complete Works of Prince Shotoku, Volume 3, Prince Biography (Part 1)" (1944, Ryuginsha)" ▽ "Research on the Faith in Prince Shotoku" by Mikiya Hayashi (1980, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "The Establishment of the Faith in Prince Shotoku" by Tsuguhito Tanaka (1983, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安時代の聖徳太子伝。通称、伝暦。数多くの聖徳太子伝承・伝記は、すべてここに集大成され、ふたたびここから流布していった。917年（延喜17）に藤原兼輔(かねすけ)の書いたものだとする藤原猶雪(ゆうせつ)説が、一時、定説化したきらいがあるが、今日では、強く疑問視されて、その成立年代・撰者(せんじゃ)とも、振り出しに戻って検討されている。

　延喜(えんぎ)年間（901～923）の成立かとも憶測されている『本朝月令(ほんちょうげつれい)』、および1008年（寛弘5）ごろの成立とみられる『政事要略』に引用された「聖徳太子伝」や、984年（永観2）成立の『三宝絵詞(さんぼうえことば)』で参照された「平氏撰聖徳太子伝」は、その内容からみて、いずれも伝暦と深いかかわりが認められる。伝暦の原形か、それに先行する伝の可能性がある。これらの関係をさらにつきつめて、984年以前に、一巻本の「平氏撰聖徳太子伝」（太子49歳入滅とする）があり、これを増補（闕暦(けつりゃく)を補入して伝暦とする）して992年（正暦3）に、二巻本の「聖徳太子伝暦」（太子37歳をもって上巻を終え、50歳入滅とする）が成立し、さらに遅くとも平安時代末期までには、今日伝わるような体裁（太子36歳をもって上巻を終える）に整えられたとする具体的な試案も出されている。

［新川登亀男］

『『聖徳太子全集　第3巻　太子伝（上）』（1944・龍吟社）』▽『林幹彌著『太子信仰の研究』（1980・吉川弘文館）』▽『田中嗣人著『聖徳太子信仰の成立』（1983・吉川弘文館）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例