Prince Shōtoku

All you want to know about Prince Shōtoku

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Prince Shotoku flanked by younger brother (left: Prince Eguri) and 1st son (right: Prince Yamashiro), Woodblock painting

Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku depicted as a bodhisattva in Asuka-dera, Asuka, Nara.

10,000 yen banknote featuring the prince

Prince Shōtoku (聖徳太子, Shōtoku Taishi^?, 573–621), also known as Prince Umayado (厩戸皇子, Umayado no ōji^?), was a regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan. His existence, however, is disputed.^[1]

1 Cultural and political role
2 Legacy
3 Titles and name
4 See also
5 References
6 Literature
7 External links

Cultural and political role

Prince Shōtoku looked to China for political and religious inspiration.^{[citation needed]}

Shōtoku, inspired by Confucius' teachings, succeeded in establishing a centralized government during his reign. In 603, he established the twelve official ranks at court. He is credited with promulgating a Seventeen-article constitution, although contemporary scholars question the attribution based on its style.

The Prince was a proponent of Buddhism and composed commentaries on the Lotus Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, and the Sutra of Queen Srimala. He also commissioned the Shitennō-ji Temple in Settsu province (present-day Osaka). Shōtoku's name has been linked with Hōryū-ji in Yamato province. Documentation at Hōryū-ji, in fact, claim Suiko and Shōtoku as founders during the year 607. Archaeological excavations in 1939 have confirmed that Prince Shōtoku's palace, the Ikaruga-no-miya (斑鳩宮), occupied the eastern part of the current temple complex, where the Tō-in (東院) sits today.^[2]

Although Shōtoku admired China from afar, China seems to have taken the initiative in opening relations with Japan. Sui Emperor, Yangdi (kensui taishi) dispatched a message in 605 which said:

"The sovereign of Sui respectfully inquires about the sovereign of Wa."^[3]

Shōtoku responded by sponsoring a mission led by Ono no Imoko in 607. The Prince's own message contains the earliest written instance in which the Japanese archipelago is named "Nihon," literally, sun-origin. The salutation said:

"From the sovereign of the land of the rising sun (nihon/hi izuru) to the sovereign of the land of the setting sun."^[4]

There are historians who have concluded that Prince Shōtoku was not a historical person at all.^[1] There are also historians who are against this claim.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Legacy

Prince Shotoku laid the foundations for the rise of a stable political and economical systems through his prudent reign and reforms. His patronage of Buddhism brought in a flowering of Japanese art and culture. His legendary wisdom and far-sightedness, as well as peaceful foreign policy with Japan's neighbours has kept him in the public eyes in high esteem, even until today. In his honour, the 10,000 Yen banknote featured his image, the highest denomination. The 10,000 yen banknote with him was printed from the 1950s until the 1980s.

Titles and name

He is known by several titles, although his real name is Prince Umayado (厩戸皇子, Umayado no ōji^?, literally the prince of the stable door) since he was born in front of a stable. He is also known as Toyotomimi (豊聡耳, Toyotomimi^?) or Kamitsumiyaō (上宮王, Kamitsumiyaō^?). In the Kojiki, his name appears as Kamitsumiya no Umayado no Toyotomimi no Mikoto (上宮之厩戸豊聡耳命^?). In the Nihon Shoki, in addition to Umayado no ōji, he is referred as 豊耳聡聖徳, 豊聡耳法大王, and 法主王. The popular name Prince Shōtoku first appeared in Kaifūsō written in 751, more than a hundred years after his death.

References

^ ^a ^b Prince Shōtoku, Tokyo Shimbun 2008-02-10 誇張や粉飾があったにしても、実在と非実在では話の次元が全く違ってしまいます。ところが、積み重ねられた近代の実証的歴史学の結論は「聖徳太子はいなかった」で、どうやら決定的らしいのです。(truth is... modern historican conclude that Prince Shōtoku was a fictional character) 太子像が創作(fabricated)・捏造(later created)となると...(Japanese)
^ John Whitney Hall (1988). "The Cambridge history of Japan "The Asuka Enlightenment" p.175". Cambridge University. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
^ Varley, Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p. 128.
^ Varley, Paul. (1973). Japanese Culture: A Short History. p. 15
^ (Japanese)"Shoutoku Taishi ha Jitsuzai Shitanoka [Did Prince Shotoku exist?]". Teikoku Shoin. Retrieved on 2008-09-25.
^ (Japanese)"Shoutoku Taishi ha Jitsuzai Suruka [Does Prince Shotoku exist?]". 青山学院校友会千葉県東葛支部. Retrieved on 2008-09-25.
^ (Japanese)"Shoutoku Taishi Kyokou-setsu wo haisu [Ruling out the theory that Prince Shotoku did not exist]". Retrieved on 2008-09-25.
^ (Japanese)"Shoutoku Taishi ha jitsuzai shita [Prince Shotoku did exist]". Yamataikoku no kai. Retrieved on 2008-09-25.

Literature

Varley, H. Paul. (1973). Japanese Culture: A Short History. New York: Praeger Publishers.
Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [ Kitabatake Chikafusa (1359)], Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4