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25-506: Kōryū-ji is said to be the oldest temple in Kyoto, having been constructed in 603 by Hata no Kawakatsu upon receiving a Buddhist statue from Prince Shōtoku . Fires in 818 and 1150 destroyed the entire temple complex, but it was rebuilt several times since. The temple contains a number of important pieces of cultural heritage. One of national treasures in Japan (registered on June 9, 1951),

50-412: A kami , in order to placate him. They called him Taikō Dai-Myōjin ( 対抗大明神 , "Great Raging Kami "), and later recognized him as an incarnation of Bishamonten . Prince Shōtoku is said to have prayed to the spirit of Kawakatsu for victory against Mononobe no Moriya , who led an armed force in opposition to Japanese adoption of Buddhism. Konparu Zenchiku considered Kawakatsu to be a manifestation of

75-406: A bamboo? Alas! For The wayfarer lying And hungered for rice! The second day, Shōtoku sent a messenger to the starving man, but he was already dead. Hereupon, he was greatly grieved and ordered his burial. Shōtoku later thought the man was no ordinary man for sure, and sending another messenger, discovered the earth had not been disturbed. On opening the tomb there was no body inside, and

100-436: A hollowed-out wooden boat. The winds and currents took him to Harima Province , where he came ashore no longer in human form. It is not clear from Zeami's version of the tale what sort of spirit or demon Kawakatsu was meant to have been, but it is implied that from the time he was discovered in the jar to this point he was never truly human. In any case, he haunted and cursed the people of Harima until they began to worship him as

125-477: A legend, as told by the preeminent Noh playwright Zeami, Hata no Kawakatsu first appeared as a child, during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (509–571), discovered in a jar near the gates to the Miwa Shrine by a high court official. The Hatsuse River had overflowed its banks, and the jar had been carried along on the current. As the official believed the child to have come from heaven, these events were reported to

150-646: A wooden image of the Bodhisattva Maitreya sitting contemplatively in the half-lotus position, called "Hōkan Miroku" ( 宝冠弥勒 ) is amongst the rare objects that are preserved and displayed at Kōryū-ji. The temple is also renowned for its Bull Festival ( 牛祭 , ushi matsuri ) , traditionally held in mid-October, but currently suspended. 35°0′55.80″N 135°42′26.31″E  /  35.0155000°N 135.7073083°E  / 35.0155000; 135.7073083 Hata no Kawakatsu Hata no Kawakatsu ( 秦河勝 ) , sometimes called Hada no Kōkatsu ,

175-607: Is found in Seitoku University and its associated junior college (both in Matsudo, Chiba ) as well as Tokyo's defunct Seitoku Junior College of Nutrition (and indirectly its replacement Seiei College ). The portrait of Prince Shōtoku has appeared on 100 , 1,000 , 5,000 and 10,000 yen bills. Two bills made with different types of materials and special inks with a face value of 100,000,000 (one hundred million yen) were also issued. The characteristic of these bills

200-597: Is known by several titles, although his real name is Prince Umayado ( 厩戸皇子 , Umayado no ōji , literally ‘the prince of the stable door’) since he was born in front of a stable. He is also known as Toyosatomimi ( 豊聡耳 ) or Kamitsumiyaō ( 上宮王 ) . He is also known for bearing the Sanskrit Dharma name Bhavyaśīla which was awarded to him by Bodhidharma. In the Kojiki , his name appears as Kamitsumiya no Umayado no Toyosatomimi no Mikoto ( 上宮之厩戸豊聡耳命 ) . In

225-514: Is translated as "The world is vain and illusory, and the Buddha's realm alone is true." In his correspondence with Emperor Yang of Sui , Shōtoku's letter contains the earliest known written instance in which the Japanese archipelago is referred to by a term meaning "land of the rising sun." The Sui Emperor had dispatched a message in 605 that said, "the sovereign of Sui respectfully inquires about

250-857: The Nihon Shoki , in addition to Umayado no ōji , he is referred to as Toyosamimi Shōtoku (豊聡耳聖徳), Toyosatomimi no Nori no Ōkami (豊聡耳法大王), and simply Nori no Ushi no Ōkami (法主王). The name by which he is best known today, Prince Shōtoku , first appeared in Kaifūsō , written more than 100 years after his death in 622 AD. A number of institutes are named after Shōtoku, such as Shotoku Gakuen University and its associated junior college (both in Gifu ). The first syllable of his name (聖), can be read shō in Go-on and can also be read sei in Kan-on . The later reading

275-495: The Kofun Period who were mistakenly categorized multiple times to different origins across multiple centuries including Baekje , Qin dynasty , and Gaya . Prince Sh%C5%8Dtoku Prince Shōtoku ( 聖徳太子 , Shōtoku Taishi , February 7, 574 – April 8, 622 ) , also known as Prince Umayado ( 厩戸皇子 , Umayado no ōjî, Umayado no miko ) or Prince Kamitsumiya ( 上宮皇子 , Kamitsumiya no ōji, Kamitsumiya no miko ) ,

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300-486: The shukujin , a universal god of destiny. According to Zenchiku, Taiko Daimyojin can also be considered to be analogous to the deity Matarajin , formerly commonly worshiped by the Tendai school of Japanese Buddhism and associated with various performing arts, especially sarugaku and noh. The Kōryūji temple in Kyoto, according to legend created by Kawakatsu, is considered a prominent site of Matarajin worship. According to

325-505: The Prince's purple garment lay folded on the coffin. The Prince then sent another messenger to claim the garment, and he continued to wear it just as before. Struck by awe, the people praised the Prince: "How true it is that a sage knoweth a sage." This legend is linked with the temple of Daruma-ji in Ōji, Nara , where a stone stupa was found underground, which is exceedingly rare. Shōtoku

350-709: The authorship of the Sangyō Gisho or "Annotated Commentaries on the Three Sutras" (the Lotus Sutra , the Vimalakirti Sutra , and the Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra ). The first of these commentaries, Hokke Gisho , is traditionally dated to 615 and thus regarded as "the first Japanese text", in turn making Shōtoku the first known Japanese writer. In the late 6th century, Shōtoku led an enormous national project to promote Buddhism and he commissioned

375-608: The construction of Shitennō-ji . The Buddhist temple was built in Settsu Province (present-day Osaka ) after his military victory against the powerful Mononobe clan , for he is said to have summoned them to crush his enemies. Shōtoku's name has been linked with Hōryū-ji , a temple in Yamato Province , and numerous other temples in the Kansai region . Documentation at Hōryū-ji claims that Suiko and Shōtoku founded

400-566: The emperor. That night the emperor dreamed of the child, who said that he was the spirit of Qin Shihuangdi , first Emperor of Qin , reborn. The child also explained his appearance in the dream as a result of his destiny being connected to Japan's. As a result, the child was brought to the Court, by order of the Emperor, to serve as a Minister. He was given the family name of Chin (Qin), which

425-456: The guise of a starving beggar. The Prince asked the beggar to identify himself, but the man did not reply. Instead of going ahead, Shōtoku gave him food, drink, and covered him with his purple garment, telling him to "lie in peace". Shōtoku then sang for the starving man. Alas! For The wayfarer lying And hungered for rice On the hill of Kataoka (The sunshiny) Art thou become Parentless? Hast thou no lord Flourishing as

450-658: The life and accomplishments of Prince Shōtoku comes from the Nihon Shoki . The Prince is renowned for modernizing the government administration and for promoting Buddhism in Japan. He also had two different families that fought over his custody. Over successive generations, a devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for the protection of Japan, the Imperial Family, and for Buddhism . Key religious figures such as Saichō , Shinran and others claimed inspiration or visions attributed to Prince Shōtoku. Parents Wives According to tradition, Shōtoku

475-517: The sovereign of Wa ," and Shōtoku responded by sponsoring a mission led by Ono no Imoko in 607, who brought along a note reading: "From the sovereign of the land of the rising sun ( hi izuru tokoro ) to the sovereign of the land of the setting sun." He is said to have been buried at Shinaga in Kawachi Province (modern Osaka Prefecture ). A legend claims that when Bodhidharma came to Japan, he met with Prince Shōtoku whilst under

500-607: The temple in the year 607. Archaeological excavations in 1939 have confirmed that Prince Shōtoku's palace, the Ikaruga no miya (斑鳩宮), stood in the eastern part of the current temple complex, where the Tō-in ( 東院 ) sits today. Despite being credited as the founder of Japanese Buddhism , it is also said that the Prince respected Shinto and never visited Buddhist temples without visiting Shinto shrines. A popular quote attributed to Shōtoku that became foundational for Buddhist belief in Japan

525-560: Was a legendary figure in Japanese folklore, who is believed to have introduced ritual Shinto dances to Japan in the sixth century. He is also considered the progenitor of a hereditary line which includes many of Noh 's greatest playwrights and actors, such as Hata no Ujiyasu , Zeami and Komparu Mitsutarō . Kawakatsu is said to have served a number of rulers, including not only Kimmei and Shōtoku, but Emperor Bidatsu , Emperor Yōmei , Emperor Sushun , and Empress Suiko . Having passed on his art to his descendants, Kawakatsu fled Naniwa in

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550-531: Was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko . He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half-sister. But later, he was adopted by Prince Shōtoken. His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan and also he was involved in the defeat of the rival Mononobe clan . The primary source of

575-471: Was appointed regent ( Sesshō ) in 593 by Empress Suiko (554–628), his aunt. Shōtoku, inspired by the Buddha's teachings, succeeded in establishing a centralized government during his reign. In 603, he established the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System at the court. He is credited with promulgating the seventeen-article constitution . Shōtoku was an ardent Buddhist and is traditionally attributed

600-480: Was read as Hata in Japanese, and it was thus that the child came to be called Hata no Kawakatsu. Kawakatsu was then asked by Shōtoku Taishi to perform sixty-six dramatic pieces, in order to help settle disturbances in the land. The Prince made sixty-six masks to be used for this purpose, and the performances were then done at the Shishinden (Great Attendance Hall) of the imperial palace at Tachibana . Since this

625-496: Was successful in creating peace for the land, Prince Shōtoku decided that this form of entertainment should be kept for the ages, and dubbed it kagura ( 神楽 , "entertainment given by the gods"). The form of entertainment known as sarugaku , along with its name, would later be derived from kagura . Due to his name, Hata no Kawakatsu is heavily associated with the Hata clan , an immigrant clan that arrived from Silla to Japan during

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