Comprehensive research on Buddhist culture in medieval Hyuga country

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00939
• 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: University of Miyazaki
• Principal Investigator: Seki Shuichi 宮崎大学, 教育学部, 教授 (30725940)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 石川 千佳子 宮崎大学, 教育学部, 教授 (10184483) ; 大野 匠 宮崎大学, 教育学部, 教授 (90590977)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 日向国 / 日向様式の仏像 / 一木造 / 大般若波羅蜜多経 / 宋版

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In Hyuga Province, Buddhist statues made of one piece of wood can be seen from the late Heian period to the Muromachi period. There are shapes associated with reverence for sacred trees, such as no internal hollows. The ``Hyuga style'' was established as a compromise between the tradition of statue-making techniques from the Heian period and the exterior style from the Kamakura period onward.
The Great Prajnaparamita Sutra, owned by Entsu San Rinsho-in Temple in Saito City, was transcribed from 1330 to 1335. The original text is the Fuzhou Dongfu Temple version of the Tripitaka Sutra in the Northern Song Dynasty. Parts were supplemented from the late 14th century to the late 15th century, and in 1543, 100 volumes (volumes 301 to 400) that had been lost due to war were supplemented at once. It was continued to be repaired from the Edo period until 1870, and it can be seen that it was used as a core of local religious beliefs.

Free Research Field

日本史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中世の仏像は寄木造が主流であることに対して、日向国の中世仏像は一木造を主としており、きわめて地域色が濃い。このことは、中世仏像の見直しを迫るものである。
円通山麟祥院所蔵の大般若波羅蜜多経は、日本に輸入された南宋の版本を鎌倉末期に書写したもので、南宋の仏教文化が日向国に流入したことを示している。また近世や近代初期に至るまで、補入や補修を繰り返しており、地域における仏教信仰の継続を示している。
仏像・大般若波羅蜜多経の調査は、宮崎県内の文化財の再評価をするもので、文化財保護の観点から意義ある成果だといえる。