Writing Home

Remember how you all told me to go find a nice Japanese boy while I was studying abroad?  Well, I did and I’m going to tell you all about him.  Just be warned: he’s something of a go-getter, so there’s quite a bit to tell.

He’s older, was born in ’74 of the Asuka period—that’s 574, mind—and is of noble birth.  He was the second son of Yomei, the 31st emperor of Japan.  His mother was the concubine Anahobe no hashihito, who was said to have birthed him without labor pains standing by a door to the stables during her rounds.  According to the Nihongi, he was able to talk from the moment he exited the womb.  Other sources claim that he was a perfect Buddhist from his entrance into the world, but he denies this notion with the text of his Seventeen Article Constitution, paraphrased by Kanaji in a 1985 Acta Asiatica article, “There are few who are born wise.  It is only after thorough contemplation that man becomes a sage.”  It’s a little difficult to believe that anyone could be born so capable, but when you look at all he’s credited with, you can understand why so many people do agree with the accounts.

Officially, he served as regent under the empress Suiko, his father’s sister, from 592 until 622.  For those of you who don’t know, that means he was her adviser—or the real power behind the throne.   During that time, he brought much change and many firsts to Japan.  He “adopted the continental calendar system taught by a Korean priest, Kanroku, which resulted in the official adoption of the first lunar calendar” (answers.com).  Until then, Japan measured years by reigns of emperors alone.  They still do today, but alongside the lunar calendar.  He instigated a system of twelve “cap ranks,” denoted by colored tassels worn on caps in court, an idea imported from China.  This allowed government officials to be awarded based on merit rather than on birth, the first time such an idea had been observed in the nation.

In 607, he sponsored an expedition to China with a fellow by the name of Ono no Imoko as the leader.  This wasn’t a first by any means—expeditions date back to the time of legendary empress Himiko—it’s the accompanying letter that’s noteworthy.  The salutation he is said to have penned was, translated by Umehara, “From the Son of Heaven of the nation from which the Sun rises, to the Son of Heaven of the land where the Sun sets.”  Now, that might not sound like much more than a blatant insult, but before it was translated into English, it referred to Japan for the first time as nihon, “rising sun.”  Until then, they had been known as wa, a name granted by the Chinese that meant “hairy dwarf.”  It was the first time Japan asserted its individual identity.

Three years prior, he penned the aforementioned Seventeen Article Constitution, a set of guidelines by which individuals, officials and nations alike could govern themselves by to great benefit.  This constitution was the first of its kind in Japan’s history and showed the fledgling nation’s movement towards maturity.  It utilized both Buddhist and Confucius ideals and called heavily for the application of morals.  Article X, for example, according to Lu, said, “Discard wrath and anger from your heart and from your looks.  Do not be offended when others differ with you.  Everyone has his own mind, and each mind has its own leanings.”  The article goes on to state that neither party is incorrect, simply that they have separate views and that no one can truly define what is right and wrong.  Are you starting to see why I like this guy so much?  It’s refreshing to find a man who can dispel conflict.

Oh, that reminds me.  After all that, I forgot to tell you his name.  Some call him Kamitsumiya, “Upper Palace,” in an echo of the location he resided in while growing up (or perhaps it was the other way around; no one’s really sure).  Others use Toyotomimi, “Abundant Quick Ears.”  It was said that he could listen to between eight and ten conflicts simultaneously and provide accurate counsel to each.  More common is Umayado, “Stable Door,” reflecting the story of his simple, painless birth.  However, almost any Japanese person will recognize the name Shotoku Taishi, “Sage Virtue,” but the title was not granted until nearly a century after his death, in 706.  There are a handful of others, including more official titles and terms of endearment such as Prince Imperial, Crown Prince and Heavenly Grandchild.  The Kojiki provides his fullest name: Uhe-no-miya-no-uma-ya-dono-toyo-to-mimi, which is really just a bunch of the above crammed together.

Shotoku Taishi is most commended for nurturing Japan’s acceptance and embrace of Buddhism.  The religion had been introduced only 20 or 30 years before he was born and the rival Mononobe clan was vehemently against the assimilation of such a foreign set of beliefs.  He went war alongside Soga clan allies to ensure its place in Japan.  Before a particularly treacherous battle, it is said he carved images of the four gods of Buddhism (often named Suzaku, Seiryu, Byakko and Genbu in Japanese) and placed the piece in his topknot.  This act was accompanied by a promise to build a temple his side emerged from the conflict victorious.  He did win, and the Shitennoji temple was the result in 593.  Fourteen years later, he would found the Horyuji temple with Empress Suiko.  These are two of Japan’s oldest places of Buddhist worship.

The prince attended his father’s death bed and having witnessed such trauma is said to have renounced his claim to the throne and devoted himself to public duty and spreading the teachings of the Buddha.  After his over-seas contacts with the Sui in China dried up, he settled into a life of meditation and study of the religion.

He is said to have written seven volumes of commentaries on the Lotus Sutra and is credited with revealing many of the Buddhist deities as ones Japanese were familiar with, by asserting that they were alternative manifestations of Shinto kami or other venerated individuals.  In doing so, the people of Japan were able to relate to the Buddha and accompanying bodhisattvas and accept them.  Something to the effect of, “Oh hey, they’ve been here all along, we just didn’t realize it” is what happened.  Tachibana claims that “[Shotoku Taishi] is revered by every Buddhist of [Japan] as the father of his sect” and that “he was the founder, not only of the Mahayana Buddhism, but also of cultural Japan.”

And his legacy supports as much.  Despite having lived more than a millennium ago, almost every Japanese recognizes his name and those older than 30 will recognize his face.  Shotoku Taishi has been the subject of at least five paper denominations of yen, most recently on the 10,000 yen bill until the 1980s.  A popular girl’s comic, Hi izuru tokoro no tenshi or “Heavenly Son of the Land of the Rising Sun,” featured his life in all its political intrigue—with the now-required element of boy’s love.  The work won the prestigious Kodansha Manga Prize in 1983 for its portrayal of the period’s aristocratic life and garnered outrage from practitioners of Buddhism for its blaspheme of the prince’s image.  Everyone has different opinions of everything, and Shotoku Taishi as a subject is no exception.

It is a little daunting to have a crush on a guy some people claim is fictitious.  Yoshida suggests that the authors of the Nihon shoki (Nihongi) fabricated a figure to represent culture and the literary arts.  This wasn’t done with complete disregard of history; Yomei really did have a son by the name of Umayado.  However, the lack of other accounts and histories is one of the leading arguments that my man didn’t actually exist.  Beyond that, disbelievers resort to linguistic analysis to support their counterproofs.

Referring to the Seventeen Article Constitution, Yoshida says “Article 12 uses the terms kokushi and kuni no miyatsuko (both meaning “governor”), but the term kokushi did not yet exist during the reign of Suiko.”  She goes on to explain the origins of Shotoku Taishi’s title of kotaishi, “crown prince.”  The term “was established in the […] late seventh century.  Prior to this, the word kotaishi did not exist in Japan, nor was there any institution of ‘crown prince.’  If this is the case, then the description of Prince Shotoku as “crown prince” in the Nihon shoki can not be said to be true to fact.”  The defense against Japan’s Prince Charming is rather thin.  I think they’re just jealous.

So you’re probably wondering how I came across him in my daily life if he’s a mythical historic figure.  The answer comes right out of the Nihongi.  The text only ever refers to him by the title Prince Imperial or something similar, which seems to imply, to me at least, that all Emperors who hold that title of Prince Imperial are somehow Prince Shotoku reincarnated.  With his background and belief in Buddhism, it makes sense that he would be in the circle of reincarnation, though nonbelievers would be quick to point out that many of these Emperors lived at the same time and hence could not be incarnations of the same person.  It is often said that everything good and well that came out of his life span and the adjacent years were attributed to Shotoku Taishi.  If all Emperors truly were in some way channeling him, would it be wrong to say that all progress in Japan are influenced and directed by this great guy?

Works Cited

Aston.  Nihongi.

“Biography: Shotoku Taishi.”  answers.com.  2010.  Accessed November 14, 2010.  <http://www.answers.com/topic/shotoku-taishi>.

Chamberlain, Basil Hall.  The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters.  Charles E. Tuttle Company: Tokyo, Japan.  1982.

Joseph Jr., Ken.  Lost Identity.  Kobunsha Paperbacks.  June 30, 2005.  (Notes on, by Mark Schumacher.)  Accessed November 14, 2010.  <http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/hata-lost-identity-shotoku-taishi.html>.

Kanaji.  “Three Stages of Shotoku Taishi’s Acceptance of Buddhism.”  Acta Asiatica 47.  1985.

Lu.  “The Seventeen Article Constitution.”  Sources of Japanese History.

Nishimura.  “The Prince and the Pauper: The Dynamics of a Shotoku Legend.”  Monumenta Nipponica 40, volume 3.  1985.

Schodt, Frederik L.  “Manga! Revisionist imperial history.”  Mainichi Daily News.  93/4/24.

Schumacher, Mark.  “Shotoku Taishi – First Great Patron of Buddhism in Japan.”  onmarkproductions.com.  2010.  Accessed November 14, 2010.  <http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shotoku-taishi.html>.

Tachibana, Shundo.  “Prince Shotoku, Kind Asoka of Japan.”  Studies in Buddhism in Japan volume IV.

Terry.  “Legend and Political Intrigue in Ancient Japan.”  Great Historical Figures of Japan.

Umehara.  “Prince Shotoku – Ancient Internationalist.”  Japan Quarterly 26, volume 3.  1979.

Yoshida, Kazuhiko.  “The Thesis that Prince Shotoku Did not Exist.”  Acta Asiatica 91.  2006.

xxxxx

If the works cited there didn't make it obvious enough, this was a biography I wrote for my intro to history class. Since so many of you urged me to go find a nice Japanese boy and this paper was tied together with that thought, I figured y'all'd like to read it. Or maybe it was boring. Either way.