Comprehensive study of Medieval Japanese liminal religious space of Prayer and Salvation

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00319
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02010:Japanese literature-related
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: ABE MIKA 名古屋大学, 人文学研究科, 共同研究員 (10449093)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 中世宗教空間 / 宣陽門院 / 六道釈 / 貞慶 / 融通念仏縁起 / 醍醐寺閻魔堂 / 慈円 / 寺社縁起

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study explored and analyzed foundational scriptural materials especially focusing on the liminal religious spaces of Daigoji Enmado and Toji Saiin Mieido, in the construction of which Senyomonin played a vital role, as well as the Yuzu Nembutsu Engi; and for a comparative perspective, it also focused on the Shojuraigoji Six Realms paintings.
The project findings helped us to deepen our fundamental understandings through analysis of newly discovered scriptural materials, and at the same time, it also helped to map the ideological intertwining among the said religious spaces. The study further established the significant influence that the religious thoughts and practices of various active religious movements beginning with Genshin’s Ojoyoshu to Jokei and Jien’s Koshiki had on the aforesaid liminal spaces. Moreover, the findings of the present study lead to yet another important but unexplored theme which is Senyomonin’s idiosyncratic religious subjectivity.

Free Research Field

中世宗教文芸

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

宗派、教学、寺院等の分野毎の研究枠組を横断し、境界的宗教空間の生成と機能を支える基盤となる資料の探査を進めた結果、縁起絵巻や講式表白等の儀礼テクストを中心に、新出の資史料を多く学界に紹介して貴重な歴史文献を提供することができた。なかでも、顕密浄土の仏教世界の、汎宗教的な特色ある中世宗教空間から、国宝六道絵等の記念碑的な宗教文化遺産の成立基盤を解明する重要な手掛かりを多数提示することができた成果は大きい。またそれらの研究を文学・美術史研究者と連携して取り組み、成果を発信できた意義は大きく、地域社会への貢献を含めて、あらたな研究領域の開拓に繋げることができた。