The gates of power : monks, courtiers, and warriors in premodern Japan

書誌事項

The gates of power : monks, courtiers, and warriors in premodern Japan

Mikael S. Adolphson

University of Hawai'i Press, c2000

  • : case
  • : pbk

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注記

Includes bibliographical references (p. 425-443) and index

内容説明・目次

巻冊次

: case ISBN 9780824822637

内容説明

The political influence of temples in premodern Japan, most clearly manifested in divine demonstrations-where rowdy monks and shrine servants brought holy symbols to the capital to exert pressure on courtiers-has traditionally been condemned and is poorly understood. In an impressive examination of this intriguing aspect of medieval Japan, the author employs a wide range of previously neglected sources to argue that religious protest was a symptom of political factionalism in the capital rather than its cause. It is his contention that religious violence can be traced primarily to attempts by secular leaders to rearrange religious and political hierarchies to their own advantage, thereby leaving disfavored religious institutions to fend for their accustomed rights and status. In this context, divine demonstrations became the preferred negotiating tool for monastic complexes. For almost three centuries, such strategies allowed a handful of elite temples to maintain enough of an equilibrium to sustain and defend the old style of rulership even against the efforts of the Ashikaga Shogunate in the mid-fourteenth century. By acknowledging temples and monks as legitimate co-rulers, The Gates of Power provides a new synthesis of Japanese rulership from the late Heian (794-1185) to the early Muromachi (1336-1573) eras, offering a unique and comprehensive analysis that brings together the spheres of art, religion, ideas, and politics in medieval Japan.
巻冊次

: pbk ISBN 9780824823344

内容説明

The political influences of temples in pre-modern Japan, most clearly manifested in divine demonstrations - where rowdy monks and shrine servants brought holy symbols to the capital to exert pressure on courtiers - has traditionally been condemned and is poorly understood. In his examination of this intriguing aspect of mediaeval Japan, the author employs a wide range of sources to argue that religious protest was a symptom of political factionalism and capital rather than its cause. It is his contention that religious violence can be traced primarily to attempts by secular leaders to re-arrange religious and political hierarchies to their own advantage, thereby leaving disfavoured religious institutions to fend for their accustomed rights and status. In this context, divine demonstrations became the preferred negotiating tool for monastic complexities. For almost three centuries, such strategies allowed a handful of elite temples to sustain and defend the old style of rulership. By acknowledging temples and monks as legitimate co-rulers, this text provides a synthesis of Japanese rulership from the late Heian (794-1185) to the early Muromachi (1336-1573) eras, offering a comprehensive analysis that brings together the spheres of art, religion, ideas and politics in mediaeval Japan.

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