, also read as ''Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Taisetsu'', is a biography of

Shōtoku Taishi Shōtoku may refer to: * Prince Shōtoku (574-622), a politician of the Asuka period * Empress Kōken, or Empress Shōtoku (718-770), the 48th imperial ruler of Japan * Shōtoku (era) was a after ''Hōei'' and before '' Kyōhō.'' This period ...

. It is one scroll in length and is a

National Treasure of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Scien ...

Background

The author (or authors) of the text is unknown. It originally belonged to

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery. The temple was ...

, but it was transferred to

Chion-in in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) founded by Hōnen (1133–1212), who proclaimed that sentient beings are reborn in Amida Buddha's Western Paradise (Pure Land) by reciting the '' nembutsu'', ...

in 1879. The text consists of five distinct sections written over distinct time periods. In addition, the reverse side also contains some content. While some parts seem to have been written by the early eighth century, the complete manuscript dates from around 1050.

The first section lists Shōtoku's genealogy, including his mother and father, wife, and children. This is the oldest section and was written sometime before 701 or 708. The second section describes his achievements. These include his Buddhist contributions such as his

sutras ''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 aph ...

as well as the enactment of the

Twelve Level Cap and Rank System , established in 603, was the first of what would be several similar cap and rank systems established during the Asuka period of Japanese history. It was adapted from similar systems that were already in place in Sui dynasty China, Paekche and Ko ...

. The third section contains the full text of three inscriptions: *the

Yakushi Nyorai Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...

status at

*the group of three Buddha known as at

*the Tenjukoku Mandara embroidered curtain Much of the text of the curtain is now lost, so this text is invaluable in reconstructing the missing text. It also contains three poems from Kose no Mitsue (巨勢三杖). The fourth section contains a number of historical events. These include the introduction of Buddhism to Japan from

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

, the creation of the

Seventeen-article constitution The is, according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' of 720, a document authored by Prince Shōtoku in 604. It was adopted in the reign of Empress Suiko. The emphasis of the document is not so much on the basic laws by which the state was to be governed, suc ...

, the destruction of the Yamashiro family by

Soga no Emishi was a statesman of the Yamato Imperial Court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father. According to the ...

and

Soga no Iruka Soga may refer to: People * Soga clan, a Japanese clan of the Yamato period * Soga clan (Sagami Province), a Japanese clan * Soga people, of the Busoga kingdom in present-day Uganda * Machiko Soga, Japanese voice actress * Soga Tokimune, Jap ...

, and the destruction of Soga no Emishi and Soga no Iruka by Naka-no-Ōe. This section was written between 708 and 715. The fifth section details the reigns of five generations of rulers:

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261– ...

, Emperor Bidatsu,

Emperor Yōmei was the 31st Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 用明天皇 (31)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Yōmei's reign spanned the years from 585 until his death in 587. Traditional narrative He was cal ...

Emperor Sushun was the 32nd Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')崇峻天皇 (32)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Sushun's reign spanned the years from 587 through 592. Traditional narrative Before his ascension t ...

, and

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 推古天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suiko reigned from 593 until her death in 628. In the history of Japan ...

. Included is the years of their reigns, death, and tomb information. Finally, it concludes with Shōtoku's own death. The reverse side of the scroll contains details about

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the go ...

and the construction of the

Yamada-dera was a Buddhist temple established in the Asuka period in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The area has been designated a Special Historic Site and forms part of a grouping of sites submitted in 2007 for future inscription on the UNESCO World H ...

and Han'nya-ji temples.

References

* * * * The only full translation into a Western language is the German of Bohner, Hermann
Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Tei-setsu, Jōgū Kōtaishi Bosatsu-den
Tokyo 1936 (OAG) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jogu Shotoku Hoo Teisetsu Asuka period Old Japanese texts National Treasures of Japan Texts about the history of Buddhism Prince Shōtoku Books about Buddhism in Japan Books of Buddhist biography

Background

Contents

See also

References