The Stance of the Bukkōji-bon <i>Shinran denne</i>佛光寺本親鸞伝絵

Abstract

The first biography of Shinran, called Shinran denne 親鸞伝絵,was produced by Kakunyo 覚如 (1270–1351), the great-grandson of Shinran. But he revised the book many times and the Kōei-bon 康永本 is held to be the complete edition. There are 5 revised editions of the Shinran denne produced by Kakunyo, and among these a big change is recognized on two points, namely the title of honor given to Shinran and the ‘rounded flat charcoal brazier.’ The Bukkōji-bon Shinran denne 佛光寺本親鸞伝絵,or the copy preserved in Bukkōji temple, was produced after comparison with five revised editions. Abandoning Shōnin 聖人 and Soshi shōnin 祖師聖人,the Bukkōji-bon adopted Shōnin上人to refer to Shinran as a student of Hōnen 法然,and Shōnin 聖人 to refer to him as a successor of Hōnen. On the ‘rounded flat charcoal brazier,’ the Bukkōji-bon does not portray Shinran making use of this charcoal brazier but rather Hōnen, so the Bukkoji-bon presents it as the symbol of Hōnen. What was the stance by which the Bukkōji-bon decided the two points? To answer this question I turn to the Shinran shōnin sōgomonteira kōmyō 親鸞聖人惣御門弟等交名,handed down by the Bukkōji’s followers 佛光寺門徒.This book is not a simple list of Shinran’s students. It begins with Hōnen’s name, then Shinran’s and so on. In other words, this book emphasizes the relation between the teacher Hōnen and the student Shinran. Consequently, as in the Shinran shōnin sōgomonteira kōmyō, the stance of the Bukkōji-bon Shinran denne is the importance of relation between the teacher Hōnen and the student Shinran.