The Mulasarvastivada-vinaya studies in Edo-period Japan

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12204
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 01020:Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Buddhist philosophy-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto Pharmaceutical University (2019-2021); Otani University (2018)
• Principal Investigator: Kishino Ryoji 京都薬科大学, 薬学部, 講師 (40760137)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 學如 / 根本説一切有部律 / 有部律 / 根本薩婆多部律摂 / 律摂 / 真言宗 / 密門

Outline of Final Research Achievements

(1) I examined two temples and eight libraries in Japan for Edo period Buddhist texts related to the Mulasarvastivada-vinaya attributed to those monks who highly valued that vinaya in Edo period Japan, such as Gakunyo (1716-73) and Mitsumon (1719-88). (2) I focused my academic attention especially on one of those texts, Gakunyo's edition of the Vinaya-samgraha, since it contains the foreword written by Mitsumon that explains how the Mulasarvastivada-vinaya had come to Japan from India through China. Moreover, many of the copies of Gakunyo's edition of the Vinaya-samgraha preserve a large number of handwriting annotations that undoubtedly belong to the hands of several Edo period monks. Referring to the eight copies of Gakunyo's editions of the Vinaya-samgraha, I translated and glossed the whole texts of Mitsumon's foreword and the handwriting annotations to it, so that I shed light on several aspects of Edo period monks' understanding of the Mulasarvastivada-vinaya.

Free Research Field

仏教学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、近代仏教学が導入される以前の日本において「根本説一切有部律」という戒律テキスト、およびその綱要書である『根本薩婆多部律摂』というテキストがどのように解読・理解され、伝承されていたのか、その一端が明らかになった。その意義としては、これまで等閑に付されてきた日本の近世における「根本説一切有部律」研究の再評価を促すことができたことと、これまでほとんど手付かずであった『根本薩婆多部律摂』研究の足がかりを構築することができたことが挙げられる。