Mystical Thought in the Edo Period: Secret Traditions relating to Prince Shotoku

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21602
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 1:Philosophy, art, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: SONEHARA SATOSHI 東北大学, 学術資源研究公開センター, 助教 (30222079)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 聖徳太子信仰 / 大成経 / 乗因 / 潮音道海 / 依田貞鎮 / 東照宮 / 霊宗神道 / 三教一致

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The spiritual world of the early modern period (Edo period) in Japan was long considered based on academic studies such as Confucianism and Japanese classical studies, and the influence of religious thought such as Buddhism was underestimated. In recent years, Hitoshi Okuwa and Fumishi Sueki have advocated a revision of the theory, but it remains unclear what kind of thought actually supported early-modern religion. This research is based on Tenkai (1536?-1643) in the early modern period, and the Taisei Sutra, which spread the faith of Shotoku Taishi and the Convinatory of Shinto and Buddhism, and Choon Dokai (1628-95) and Yoda Sadashizu(1681-1764) who believed in it. I think that I was able to rediscover thinkers and writings that had been overlooked in the past by collecting and examining materials.

Free Research Field

日本近世思想史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年、近世の仏教や神道が日本思想の独自性形成に大きく関わったことが指摘されつつあるものの、徂徠（儒教）や宣長（国学）のような具体的な対象は不明確であった。本研究は『大成経』に代表される近世的聖徳太子信仰の体系を追求し、潮音道海（1628-95）や依田貞鎮（1681-1764）など代表的な思想家の著作を分析し、資料集や論集の形で新たな研究の足がかりを形成することができた。
SDGsなど、人々の生き方や社会のあり方を見直す機運が盛んな現代においても、日本思想の伝統を塗り替えていく知的営みは一定の影響力を持ち、国際化の軸足を固める一助になると考えている。