HŌZAWA Naohide is a professor at Toyo University, Japan.
關鍵詞
temple certification (terauke) system; head-and-branch temple (honmatsu) system; registry of temples and shrines (jishachō); liaison temples (furegashira); monastic academies (danrin); autonomy of Buddhist sects
摘要
This paper examines the structure of Buddhist sects in early modern Japan and the “control” exercised by the Tokugawa shogunate over them, taking into account the relationships between the ruling regimes and the Buddhist sects within the given sociopolitical context. For the most part of the history of Buddhism during the Tokugawa era (1603-1868), the Buddhist sects were under the auspices of the state which translated to control but also protection by the government. What made Japan’s case unique was that the ruling shogunate incorporated the institutions of Buddhism into its own system of political governance over the country. As part of the incorporation of Buddhist institutions there were various government established control mechanisms, including the temple certification (terauke) system that was widely enforced. This was borne from a need for state control, and a system design that was based on the widespread development of the temple-parishioner (jidan) relationship. Buddhist temples were spread systematically throughout the land and carried out essential functions within local communities, a reason that made the general suppression of Buddhism impossible. The uniqueness of this relationship was that the shogunate ruled over each Buddhist sect, but allowed for individual sects to exercise extensive autonomy on matters such as administration and daily organizational operations. For instances, each Buddhist sect organized their affiliated temples and maintained a system of administration over the temples and maintained separate systems of monastic education. Based on the distinctive features of each Buddhist sect and their adaptation to individual circumstances, the shogunate developed its policies for the control of temples and shrines.
目次
Abstract Introduction 229 Background to the Characteristics of Japanese State “Control” over Buddhism in Comparison to China and Korea’s Oppression 231 State Institutions for the Control of Buddhism and the Registration System of Buddhist Clergy 233 Government Control Through the System Autonomous Buddhist Sects 238 Conclusions and Reflections 246 References 249
