A study of Buddhist history of universal thought expression in the history of Japanese medieval people-linking to a global history study-

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00956
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: Aichi Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: KAMIKAWA Michio 愛知県立大学, 日本文化学部, 教授 (80264703)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 民衆史 / 仏教史 / グローバルヒストリー / 慈悲 / 普遍思想

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I have discussed the historical position of medieval Japan in relation to the historical regions of East Asia and eastern Eurasia. For about 500 years in the Middle Ages, the people found ideas of universal value. I clarified that fact concretely. This is important as a historical recognition in today's global age.
Buddhism, which sprouted in South Asia around the 5th century BC, became Mahayana Buddhism in Central Asia around BC. The Sogdians brought them to East Asia. Buddhism was established in the Japanese archipelago. At first, Buddhism in ancient Japan was the political religion of the state. And in the early Middle Ages, Buddhism also captured the popular world. However, in the Middle Ages, the people, who were in a position of being ruled, began to show subjective and volitional thoughts and actions using Buddhist thought.Such cases did exist, albeit fragmented and unorganized. I have proved such things.

Free Research Field

日本中世史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

グローバルヒストリーは、今日から将来を展望する上で必要な歴史認識の方法である。それは近現代にだけではなく、前近代にも当てはまる。その場合、国境や民族を越えた人類史の連動の事実を知ること自体の重要性だけではなく、生活者民衆が苦闘の中から普遍的思想を紡いだ事実に絶大な意味がある。外来仏教思想であった「不殺生」(非暴力)、「慈悲」(愛情)、「和合」(平和)などの思想は、断片的に残る民衆の発言史料に確かめられる。それは西洋近代思想が導入される以前の史実である。また今日、仏教用語だと意識されないほど日本語として定着している。しかもなお、その理想は十分に実現していないという課題を私たちに突きつけている。