is a mountain located in
Ikoma District,
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
, Japan.
Legends
Legend of Prince Shotoku
One of the legends of Mt. Shigi tells of
Prince Shotoku
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
asking for victory from the gods over his opponents. Prince Shotoku was a descendant of the Soga family, who had loyalty to Buddhism. During the Year of the
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
, Prince Shotoku was promoting Buddhism, and was in conflict with the
Mononobe family. While at Mt. Shigi, Prince Shotoku prayed for a victory over
Mononobe no Moriya
was an '' Ō-muraji'', a high-ranking clan head position of the ancient Japanese Yamato state, having inherited the position from his father Mononobe no Okoshi. Like his father, he was a devoted opponent of Buddhism, which had recently been int ...
.
Bishamonten, the Buddhist deity of war, then visited him during the Hour of the
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
, on the Day of the
Tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
. Bishamonten then lead Prince Shotoku to victory in the
Battle of Shigisen. Prince Shotoku then built a shrine in his honor.
Legends of Mount Shigi
A
scroll painting called
Shigisan-engi
The is an or (painted narrative handscroll) made in the second half of the 12th century CE, during the Heian period of Japanese history (794–1185). It is an illuminated manuscript detailing miracles attributed to the monk , who lived on ...
depicts three miracles revolving around a monk by the name of Myoren who lived on Mount Shigi.
*First scroll tells the story of Myoren teaching a greedy nobleman a lesson by making his granary fly.
:He was drawn to Mt. Shigi by a Buddha statue, where he then built a shrine. He would eat whatever he could find himself, taking upon himself the task of praying for the statue. During the winter, he was visited by his long-lost rice bowl, which brought him rice every day. The rice bowl would go down to the storehouse of a rich farmer, who refused to share his bounty with the monks, scoop out a bowlful of rice and then return to the monk. One day, the farmer traps the bowl as it is scooping out rice, only to have the bowl carry the entire storage house to the shrine. In exchange for sharing his grain with the monks, the monk had the rice bowl return all of the farmer's rice to where it came from.
*Second scroll tells a story of Myoren healing the Emperor.
*Third scroll tells the story of Myoren's sister who in her old age decided to find and re-united with him, her brother.
See also
*
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
*
Shigisan Gyokuzōin
Shigisan Gyokuzōin (信貴山玉蔵院) is a Buddhist temple in Heguri, Nara Prefecture, Japan at Mount Shigi.
See also
*Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Yamato
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and prece ...
References
* Kleiner, Fred. S. (20095) ''Gardner's Art Through The Ages: A Global History'' Massachusetts: Thomson Wadsworth (2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shigi
Mountains of Nara Prefecture