Research on the History of Esoteric Buddhist and Shinto Interactions in Medieval Japan

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26770220
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Trenson Steven 広島大学, 総合科学研究科, 准教授 (10595432)
• Research Collaborator: UENO Katsuyuki
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 密教 / 中世神道 / 舎利信仰 / 龍神信仰 / 醍醐寺

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project focused on the history of esoteric Buddhist and Shinto interactions in medieval Japan from the viewpoint of dragon cults. During the medieval period, kami cults combined with esoteric Buddhist thought in various ways, which resulted in the formation of a number of medieval Shinto lineages. However, there are still many unsolved issues regarding the historical processes behind the establishment of medieval Shinto. The current scholarly consensus is that medieval Shinto first emerged in the area around the Ise shrines and then from there spread to other places such as Mount Muro and Mount Miwa. The present research, however, started out from the observation that medieval Shinto is largely founded on dragon beliefs and therefore reconsidered a number of medieval Shinto issues from the perspective of Daigoji's dragon cult. As a result, it was clarified that Daigoji's esotericism had an important influence on the development of medieval Shinto.

Free Research Field

日本宗教