平安時代天台宗的政治性格及歷史發展：與攝關政治交涉為中心的考察=The Political Nature and Historical Development of Tendai School in Heian Japan：An Investigation Focusing on the Engagement with Sekkan Regency
Tendai Buddhism has been systematically introduced to Japan ever since Saicho, who travelled to Tang China, came back to Japan in the beginning of the ninth century. It gradually built up a growing power under the tradition of Nara Buddhism. In Heian period, monks usually engaged closely with political powers. The court that led by Sessho and Kanpaku, along with Emperor, were regarded as the top of national political structures, and they maintained strong interaction with Tendai school, which claimed to be state- protected. Furthermore, many monks with political backgrounds devoted to Tendai school, and carned a high class in the school. This article will focus on the interaction between Tendai monks and political powers during the establishment of Tendai school, trying to offer an alternative perspective to Tendai Buddhism. That is, when a Buddhist group faces a intensely changing political environment, how they would respond or what kind of action they would take to maintain the development of the group. The late Heian period was an important turning point for Japanese political powers. Investigating the actions of Tendai monks, who were based in Mount Hiei, should help to understand more about the features and changes of the relations between politics and religion in Heian Japan. Buddhist biographies and journals of aristocrats will take us from the perspective of the engagement of the monastics and Sekkan Regency to realize the characteristics of Tendai Buddhism in late Heian Japan.
