was a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
monk of the
Hossō sect of
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 ...
and a prominent political figure in the
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...
.
Early life
Dōkyō was born in
Kawachi Province
was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as .
Geography
The area was radically different in the past, with Kawac ...
. His family, the Yuge no Muraji, were part of the provincial gentry. He was taught both by a Confucian teacher and by the Abbot Gien of the
Eihei-ji
250px
is one of two main temples of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism, the largest single religious denomination in Japan (by number of temples in a single legal entity). Eihei-ji is located about east of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. In ...
. Under Gien he learned Sanskrit. Subsequently, Dōkyō lived as an ascetic for several years in the
Kongō Range
The is a mountain range on the borders of Nara and Osaka Prefectures on the island of Honshū in the southwest of central Japan. The range separates the Osaka Plain and the Nara Basin, and forms a natural place for the boundary between the pref ...
on
Honshu
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...
, where he practiced meditation and
sutra
''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an ap ...
s; both of these practices were concerned with the acquisition of magical powers. In 748 he is recorded as being at the
Todai-ji under Rōben, and in 749 he participated in a
sutra
''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an ap ...
copying ceremony in
Nara, and was called to
Kōken's court three years later.
[Shively, Donald H. and William H. McCullough. (1999)]
''The Cambridge History of Japan'', p. 453
Rise to power
When Dōkyō cured the illness of Kōken in 761, after she had abdicated in 758, he attained a secure and influential place in her court; she initially regarded him as her healer and spiritual adviser, before turning to him for political advice as well. According to some accounts, he also became her lover. When
Emperor Junnin
was the 47th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 淳仁天皇 (47)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. The seventh son of Prince Toneri and a grandson of Emperor Tenmu, his reign spanned the years 758 to ...
attempted to remonstrate her over this latter issue, she rebuffed him and granted Dōkyō greater powers and authority. She appointed him ''shōsōzu'' (vice-rector)
[
Dōkyō](_blank)
/ref> in 763. Fujiwara no Nakamaro
, also known as , Brown, Delmer M. (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 274 was a Japanese aristocrat (''kuge''), courtier, and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Fujiwara no Nakamaro"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 207. He was Chancellor ('' Daij ...
, a favorite of the Junnin and Chancellor, was angered by this decision but failed in his attempt to oppose Dōkyō - he was exiled. When Kōken returned to the throne as Empress Shōtoku
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
following Fujiwara no Nakamaro's unsuccessful rebellion, Dōkyō was made daijō-daijin within a year, giving him authority over both civil and religious affairs.Usa Shrine
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in Buzen Province
was an old province of Japan in northern Kyūshū in the area of Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bungo Province. Buzen bordered on Bungo and Chikuzen Provinces.
History
The ruins of the ancient cap ...
to predict peace in Japan if Dōkyō were named emperor. This angered the ruling class, including the powerful Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
. Hence, a second oracle was brought to Kyoto by Wake no Kiyomaro
was a high-ranking Japanese official during the Nara period. He was born in Bizen Province (now Wake, Okayama) to a family of politically important, devoted Buddhists who hoped to keep Buddhism and politics separate through religious reform. He b ...
.[Bender, Ross]
"The Hachiman Cult and the Dōkyō Incident"
''Monumenta Nipponica'', Vol. 34, Issue 2, p. 125; retrieved 2013-1-9. It stated:
Since the establishment of our state, the distinction between lord and subject has been fixed. Never has there been an occasion when a subject was made lord. The throne of the Heavenly Sun Succession shall be given to one of the imperial lineage; wicked persons should immediately be swept away.
In response to the second oracle, Dōkyō had Wake no Kiyomaro sent into exile in Ōsumi Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga and Satsuma Provinces.
Osumi's ancient capital was near modern Kokubu. During the Sengoku ...
.
Policies during ascendancy
During this period, the height of his political power and influence, Dōkyō built a temple in Yao, Osaka
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 263,436 in 126509 households and a population density of 6300 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is the birthplace of the Kawachi on ...
. It was sponsored by Shōtoku. Its foundations were discovered by archaeologists in 2017.
Fall from power and death
When the empress died in 770, Dōkyō was stripped of his titles and banished from Nara, sent to Shimotsuke Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Tochigi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''SHimotsuke''" in . Shimotsuke was bordered by Kōzuke, Hitachi, Mutsu and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was ...
; the Fujiwara clan reasserted its authority over both the monastic institutions and the broader political landscape.
See also
* Genbō
was a Japanese scholar-monk and bureaucrat of the Imperial Court at Nara. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Gembō" in . He is best known as a leader of the Hossō sect of Buddhism and as the adversary of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu.
Career
In 71 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dokyo
700 births
772 deaths
Japanese Buddhist clergy
Nara period Buddhist clergy
People from Yao, Osaka
People of Nara-period Japan