The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion

Description

The Japanese Middle Ages were a period when forms of secrecy dominated religious practice. This fascinating collection traces out the secret characteristics and practices in Japanese religion, as well as analyzing the decline of religious esotericism in Japan. The essays in this impressive work refer to Esoteric Buddhism as the core of Japan’s "culture of secrecy". Esoteric Buddhism developed in almost all Buddhist countries of Asia, but it was of particular importance in Japan where its impact went far beyond the borders of Buddhism, also affecting Shinto as well as non-religious forms of discourse. The contributors focus on the impact of Esoteric Buddhism on Japanese culture, and also include comparative chapters on India and China. Whilst concentrating on the Japanese medieval period, this book will give readers familiar with present day Japan, many explanations for the still visible remnants of Japan’s medieval culture of secrecy. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of illustrations List of contributors Preface List of abbreviations 1. Introduction: Japan’s culture of secrecy from a comparative perspective Secrecy in religions: Strategy or contents? Cultures of secrecy and historical change Secrecy in Japan Social practices of secrecy The essays in this book Notes References Part I: Prologue 2. Secrets and secrecy in the study of religion: Comparative views from the Ancient World The comparative study of religion(s) Definitions of secrecy The Ancient World Final considerations Note References 3. The problem of secrecy in Indian Tantric Buddhism The difficult analysis of secrecy Classical Mahāyānist contributions Esoteric Buddhist ritual The rhetoric of secrecy Conclusion Notes References 4. Myth and secrecy in Tang-period Tantric Buddhism Esoterism or secrecy? What made the “secret teachings” secret? “...not to lose words...” – a story of loss “... all on board took refuge in me...” – exclusiveness and secretion “... it is called secret signs...” – recognitionand words of truth Concluding remarks Notes References Part II: Japan’s medieval culture of secrecy 5. Secrecy in Japanese esoteric Buddhism The status of the “secret” in esoteric Buddhism The esoteric Buddhist episteme Transmitting the secrets: The education process of Shingon scholar-monks Shittan study and transmission rituals Transmission lineages of the esoteric episteme Conclusion Notes References 6. Reconsidering the taxonomy of the esoteric: Hermeneutical and ritual practices of the Lotus sutra Non-esoteric notions of the “secret” in Chinese Buddhism The non-esoteric nature of quintessential Tantric concepts The esoteric–exoteric secret according to Annen: A Taimitsu synthesis? From secret teaching to esoteric teaching: The esoterization of the Lotus sutra Esoteric liturgies of the Lotus (hokke hō) The Lotus mandala and Taimitsu “threefold Tantrism”: An alternative system of the esoteric? “The secret of the kenmitsu”: Closing remarks Notes References 7. Knowing vs. owning a secret: Secrecy in medieval Japan, as seen through the sokui kanjō enthronement unction Introduction The Nijō lineage and the sokui kanjō Secret documents and Dharma lineages Discussion Conclusion Notes References 8. Secrecy, sex and apocrypha: Remarks on some paradoxical phenomena Introduction Juhō yōjin-shū and Tachikawa-ryū: What Tachikawa-ryū is not Heresy, forgery and secrecy Cross-transmission and the spread of secrecy Conclusion Notes References 9. Esotericism in Noh commentaries and plays: Konparu Zenchiku’s Meishuku shū and Kakitsubata Introduction The scholarship on secret Noh treatises The historical context Esoteric allegoresis in Zenchiku’s treatises on Noh Allegoresis in a Zenchiku play Conclusion Notes References 10. The elephant in the room: The cult of secrecy in Japanese Tantrism Vināyaka/Shōten as demon/deva Vināyaka as Kōjin, lord of obstacle Vināyaka as placenta deity (ena kōjin) Notes References 11. Myths, rites, and icons: Three views of a secret Introduction The Three Sacred Regalia The Ten Sacred Treasures The Ten Sacred Treasures and the Three Sacred Regalia The Sacred Treasures as a mandala The end of the Sacred Treasures Conclusion: Myth, rite, and icon Notes References 12. Two modes of secrecy in the Nihon shoki transmission Historical setting The Urabe philology of Japanese myths Text analysis Conclusion Notes References Part III: The demise of secrecy 13. When secrecy ends: The Tokugawa reformation of Tendai Buddhism and its implications The intellectual milieu of Tokugawa Buddhism The political setting of Tendai Buddhism The Anraku reform movement Reiku’s Repudiation The loss of secrecy Concluding remarks Notes References 14. Hiding the shoguns: Secrecy and the nature of political authority in Tokugawa Japan Shoguns and the power of the dead Ceremonies for daimyo The reception of the foreign envoys The shogun’s women and the culture of secrecy Commoners and shoguns Conclusion Notes References 15. “Esoteric” and “public” in late Mito thought Reclaiming esoteric territory The efficacy of public ritual Efforts at implementation Dilemmas of practice Notes References Index