Eshinni - Eshinni

Japanese: 恵信尼 - えしんに

Year of death: Unknown (Year of death unknown)
Year of birth: 1182
Wife of Shinran in the Kamakura period. Her father was Miyoshi Tamenori. The first half of her life is unknown, but there are two theories: she became Shinran's wife when Shinran became a disciple of Honen, and after his exile to Echigo Province (Niigata Prefecture). In 1211, she gave birth to Shinrenbo in Echigo, and in 1214, together with Shinran, who was pardoned the same year, she moved from Kozuke Province (Gunma Prefecture) to Inada, Kasama County, Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture) with her children. It is unclear whether Eshinni returned to Kyoto when Shinran returned to the capital in 1234, or whether she went directly to Echigo, but she managed her estate as a local lord in Echigo while Shinran was alive. As for the period after that, there are 10 letters from 1256 to 1268 addressed to his daughter Kakushinni, who lived with her father, and it is confirmed that the last letter was written when she was 87 years old. The letter contains important episodes from Shinran's life, such as the letter of transfer of servants to Kakushinni, how Shinran, upon hearing the news of Shinran's death, retreated to Rokukakudo, had a vision of Prince Shotoku, and went to see Honen, how he had planned to recite the Three Sutras in Sanuki, Kozuke Province, but canceled, and how Eshinni dreamed of Honen being Seishi and Shinran being Kannon. It also contains detailed descriptions of the management of her estate, the management of her servants, thanks for receiving kosode and sewing needles, her own health, and her children and grandchildren, making it a valuable historical resource not only for Shinran research, but also for learning about the intellectual level, lifestyle, and faith of women living in the provinces. <References> Akamatsu Toshihide, Shinran; Miyazaki Enjun, Eshinni Documents (Miyazaki Enjun Collected Works, vol. 3)

(Yunko Nishiguchi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：没年不詳(没年不詳)
生年：寿永1(1182)
鎌倉時代,親鸞の妻。父は三善為教。前半生は不明だが,妻になったのは親鸞が法然門下に入ったころと,越後国(新潟県)流罪後との両説がある。建暦1(1211)年,越後で信蓮房を生み,同年赦免された親鸞と共に建保2(1214)年に子女を連れて上野国(群馬県)から常陸国(茨城県)笠間郡稲田に移住した。文暦1(1234)年親鸞の帰京時に恵信尼も帰京したか,直接越後にいったかは不明だが,親鸞の生存中に越後で在地領主として所領を経営している。その後については,父と同居していた娘の覚信尼宛の書状が,康元1(1256)年から文永5(1268)年までの10通残っており,最後の書状は87歳のときであったことが確かめられる。書状の内容は,覚信尼への下人譲状,親鸞の訃報を聞いて若き日の親鸞が六角堂に参籠して聖徳太子の示現を蒙り法然のもとに赴いたこと,上野国佐貫で三部経を読誦しようと思って取りやめたこと,恵信尼が法然を勢至,親鸞を観音と夢見たことなど,親鸞の重要なエピソードが語られるほか,所領の経営状況,下人の管理,小袖や縫針を貰った礼,自分の健康状態,子供や孫のことなど細かに記され,親鸞研究だけでなく,地方在住の女性の知的水準,生活や信心を知るうえで貴重な史料となっている。<参考文献>赤松俊秀『親鸞』,宮崎円遵「恵信尼文書」(『宮崎円遵著作集』3巻)

(西口順子)

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