Kamakura Period Research Articles

A Study of Japanese Tea Culture in the Kamakura Period seen through the Metal Samkujok[三具足] from the Sinanshipwreck

A Study of Japanese Tea Culture in the Kamakura Period seen through the Metal Samkujok[三具足] from the Sinanshipwreck

Study on the Formation of Japanese Kaniarare Textiles

Kaniarare pattern (窠に霰文), a typical and representative design among the Japanese Yusoku patterns (有職文樣), becomes stylized at least during the 11th to 12th centuries in the late Heian period. The design of kaniarare pattern became stylized at least during the 11th to 12th centuries in the late Heian period, while the earliest known stylized kaniarare-mon silk fabric could be dated from late 13th century during the Kamakura period. Although the study of the trade and cultural exchanges between Song and Liao Dynasties and late Heian to early Kamakura Japan became more distinctive in the past decades, the transmission of silk art and relative impact on Japanese silk design have not been fully studied. By comparing with a few groups of extant and unearthed silk relics and connecting their relevancy, this article attempts to analyze the possible influence of silk design from the Liao to Song dynasties on Japanese silk design then and later.

“For the First Time in Japan”: The Main Elements of Hangzhou‑Based Zen That Dōgen Transmitted

The transplantation of Zen from China to Japan during the Kamakura period (1185–1333) depended on a series of intrepid seekers, who journeyed beyond conventional geographical and societal boundaries to discover and appropriate religious customs and beliefs while staying on the mainland that spread and eventually thrived on the islands. The only way to learn the intricate ways of Zen theory was to experience first-hand the relevant people, practices, places, and ritual performances in the Hangzhou/Ningbo region of the northern Zhejiang province. This article first provides a brief synopsis of travelers to and from Hangzhou, including Japanese pilgrims and Chinese émigré monks in addition to some prominent teachers and learners who did not journey but nevertheless exerted a tremendous impact on the transmission process. Then, it analyzes elements of Chinese Chan that were brought across the waters by Dōgen 道元 (1200–1253), who ventured to gain enlightenment in the 1220s. He later claimed that he implemented “for the first time in Japan” 日本国最始 practical and conceptual religious techniques, including diverse personal, material, ritual, textual, rhetorical, and societal components. Although a major transmitter of Chan, Dōgen made significant innovations based on his vision of the ideal Zen community, recast for the structures of medieval Japanese society.

일본 메이지유신(明治維新) 이전의 지적조사(地籍調査)에 대한 고찰

The purpose of the study to understand the cadastral survey and ownership management of land prior to the Meiji period. The temporal scope of this study is limited to the Nara period from 710 to 1868. A cadastral investigation is a survey conducted mainly by municipalities to survey the land owner, parcel number, and purpose of land use and to measure the location and area of ​​the boundary for each parcel. However, there was no term for cadastral research at that time, but the same applies in terms of content. As a result of the study, manors and land subject to public authority in the late Heian period are divided into two types: manors, which are private lands controlled by aristocrats or temples, and public domains, which are controlled by public officials dispatched from the state. The manor and public land in the Kamakura period are changed by the invasion of the manor and public land by Jidu. And in the Muromachi period, the power of the nobles and monks who ruled the manor and the government officials dispatched from the state, who ruled the territories, weakened, and disputes over land became more and more complicated. In Taehap Geomji, first, the person who cultivates the farmland became the owner of the land. Second, the people had to pay taxes according to the amount of agricultural production. Third, samurai and peasants were completely separated, and farmers were only obligated to pay taxes as ownership of farmland was recognized. After such a cadastral survey of Taehap, it is suggested that the development of small agriculture and the increase in agricultural productivity in Japan served as a great foundation for a smooth transition from medieval feudal society to modern society.

일본 메이지유신(明治維新) 이전의 지적조사(地籍調査)에 대한 고찰

The purpose of the study to understand the cadastral survey and ownership management of land prior to the Meiji period. The temporal scope of this study is limited to the Nara period from 710 to 1868. A cadastral investigation is a survey conducted mainly by municipalities to survey the land owner, parcel number, and purpose of land use and to measure the location and area of ​​the boundary for each parcel. However, there was no term for cadastral research at that time, but the same applies in terms of content. As a result of the study, manors and land subject to public authority in the late Heian period are divided into two types: manors, which are private lands controlled by aristocrats or temples, and public domains, which are controlled by public officials dispatched from the state. The manor and public land in the Kamakura period are changed by the invasion of the manor and public land by Jidu. And in the Muromachi period, the power of the nobles and monks who ruled the manor and the government officials dispatched from the state, who ruled the territories, weakened, and disputes over land became more and more complicated. In Taehap Geomji, first, the person who cultivates the farmland became the owner of the land. Second, the people had to pay taxes according to the amount of agricultural production. Third, samurai and peasants were completely separated, and farmers were only obligated to pay taxes as ownership of farmland was recognized. After such a cadastral survey of Taehap, it is suggested that the development of small agriculture and the increase in agricultural productivity in Japan served as a great foundation for a smooth transition from medieval feudal society to modern society.

Timeless Todays in a Changing World: A Translation of Fujiwara no Nobuzane's Ima monogatari

Abstract: War tales, historical narratives, and setsuwa collections—both Buddhist and, to a lesser degree, those concerned with court life—are today the most famous prose genres from the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Common to many of these works is a preoccupation with decline, be it the corruption of Buddhist teachings or the loss of court culture. Fujiwara no Nobuzane's court-oriented setsuwa collection Ima monogatari (Today's Tales), however, takes a different tack. Rather than fetishize the past or bemoan the current state of affairs, it recounts a world in which the present is inevitably different from the past, but without presenting that as cause for sorrow or alarm. As a collection that displays its author's literacy, social connections, and sense of humor, Today's Tales thus offers a fresh perspective on the social and cultural changes of the mid-thirteenth century.

The Influence of Mongol Invasion in the Kamakura Period on the Recession of the Kamakura Shogunate

This paper takes the two attempted invasions by the Yuan Dynasty (Mongol) during the Kamakura period as an example to analyze the influence of the invasion on the Kamakura Shogunate and the contradictions between the two sides. In the history of Mongol invasion of Japan, although the Kamakura Shogunate won in the war, it turned out to recession, the author wanted to explore the causes of its decline through the research and was interested in the Mongolia strikes may lead to Kamakura Shogunate recession this view, taking this opportunity to seek the Mongol strikes cause deterioration of the Kamakura Shogunate regime. At present, there are many studies on the war process in the academic circle, but there are still insufficient studies on the relationship between the Mongol attack and the decline of the Kamakura Shogunate. Therefore, this paper has certain research value. The influence of Mongol attack on the decline of Kamakura Shogunate was analyzed by reference and Internet. This paper first sorts out the background of the Mongol attack, and then briefly describes the process of the Mongol attack, namely the Bunei War and the Koan War. Finally, the influence of Mongol invasion on the collapse of Kamakura Shogunate is discussed from both political and economic aspects.

STUDY OF JAPANESE LITERARY TERMINOLOGY IN DIACHRONY

This paper analyzes the etymological and word-forming features of the terminological units of the Japanese literary criticism of the Nara, Heian and Kamakura periods. The relation of the terms of kango 漢語, wago 和語 and gairaigo 外来語 etymological groups has been established in the specified historical periods. The productivity of the methods of the term formation of the Japanese literary terms in diachrony has been studied, such as: root-adding, word-stemming, metaphorization, and others. The paper attempts to study the influence of the cultural and historical background on the formation of the terminological units range of the Japanese literary criticism. The following aspects have been studied, specifically: the terms of the Nara period, drawn by the poets from the depths of the folklore; the exquisite terminological units imbued with the subtle aesthetics of the Heian’s court artists; and the concepts of the Науковий часопис НПУ імені М. П. Драгоманова 6 Japanese literary criticism, invented by the Kamakura’s monk hermits. The connection between the dominance of certain types of the term formation and historical and cultural circumstances of a particular period of the history has been defined. The quantitative predominance of the kango units 漢語, borrowed from China, and the method of the term formation based on the kango 漢語 – root-adding in all periods under study – Nara, Heian, and Kamakura – has been pointed out. The direct influence of some factors on the formation of the then Japanese literary terminology has been traced. They include the domination of the Chinese language in science, borrowing of certain terms from China and imitation of the methods of the term formation inherent to the Chinese language.

Functions of Millenarism in Premodern Japanese Literature

This article explores social functions of millenarism which are defined in the field of social studies, history, and theology, focusing on its subversive nature to change power relationships between people. It also discusses whether theories about millenarism are also applicable to the Japanese tradition, which has been strongly influenced by Buddhism. The latter part of the article examines the way in which social functions of millenarian attempts were described in premodern Japanese literature, in the Heian and the Kamakura periods. Particular historical cases which influenced millenarian thought are explored, in order to balance with millenarian theories which dominantly come from the West. The main texts to be discussed are the Heian-era fiction Genji monogatari, since the work was influenced by Genshin’s Ōjōyōshū and Amidism, and was written when the age of mappō was widely diffused, and the Kamakura-period essay Hōjōki, which vividly describes apocalyptic events in the transition from the Heian to the Kamakura periods. The examples in these texts indicate that millenarism as an attempt to change the power relationship and to regain a new identity is not unusual in premodern Japanese culture.

Women’s Pure Land Buddhism in the Kamakura Period

In this paper I study the Ensai ganmon ゑんさい願文, a composition of the Kamakura period （1185-1333）, and discuss the Pure Land beliefs of that time. The Ensai ganmon were encorporated inside the image of Maitreya Bodhisattva of Shōmyōji Temple 称名寺, established by Hōjō Sanetoki 北条実時 （1224-1276）. The Ensai ganmon was written by the wife of Sanetoki, one of the daughters of Hōjō Masamura北条政村 （1205-1273）.

<i>Gonke no nin</i> （Mercy of the Incarnated Ones）

Shinran uses the expression “gonke no nin” 権化の仁 in the general preface to the Kyōgyōshinshō 教行信証. Previous studies have understood gonke to refer to the characters in the Kangyō 観経 （Pure Land Contemplation Sūtra）, such as Ajātaśatru 阿闍世, Devadatta 提婆達多 and Vaidehī 韋提希. But Shandao 善導 considered Vaidehī not to be a saint （ārya, 聖）, but an ordinary person （pṛthagjana, 凡夫）. Why did Shinran, in contrast, understand Vaidehī to be a saint? In the first place, many of Hōnen’s disciples considered Vaidehī to be a bodhisattva. There are also sūtras that teach that Vaidehī is a saint. Furthermore, Buddhists of the Kamakura period believed that meeting the Buddha would be difficult even for bodhisattvas. On the basis of these points, I think that the Pure Land Buddhists of the Kamakura period recognized that those who could not meet the Buddha were ordinary persons. That is why Shinran called Vaidehī a saint, as she was the cause that led to Pure Land Buddhism being preached.

Листвяной рожок готокаку в иконографии японских мандал периодов Муромати и Эдо

The subject of this article is the imagery of gotokaku leaf horn, a rare musical instrument found on Japanese mandalas depicting Pure Land of Muromachi (1336-1573) and Edo (1603-1868) periods. It looks like a green tree leaf, folded in half and intertwined with a silk ribbon. Specialized studies on him in domestic and foreign literature have not been found. Artistic images of gotokaku are quite rare; associated with the “celestial music” motif, they usually placed in peripheral space of mandala. Bearing in mind that each composition element of Buddhist mandala is related to various aspects of practice, it seems very interesting to explore symbolic significance of this musical instrument within the context of some provisions of Amidism. The origin of the Pure Land school in China dates back to the Vth century. The imagery of paradise, the Pure Land of Buddha Amitabha, is crucial in Pure Land doctrine. It can be assumed that the symbolism of the musical instrument was associated with ideas about the melodious sound of “jewel-trees”, which, according to canonical texts, are grow in Amitabha's land. Ideas of Amidism were known in Japan in the Nara period (710-794), and during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) they became widespread. Traditional and the most complete form of the artistic representation of Amitabha's Pure Land in Japan has become Taima-mandala. The composition of Taima-mandala has a clear chain, and a large part of it is given to the sky motif. Over there, among the other instruments of the “celestial orchestra”, we can find an image of unusual musical instrument made from a leaf. Referring to Japanese compendiums on Buddhist iconography from the XVII-XVIII centuries, it was identified as gotokaku (梧桐角, Ch. wutong jiao) leaf horn. All the founded images were accompanied with a brief description in Chinese. The earliest Chinese text that mentions wutong jiao (梧桐角, Jap. gotokaku) is Wang Zhen's Nong Shu (Book of Agriculture, 1303); a schematic drawing of the instrument is given there, but it’s only remotely resembling gotokaku images on Japanese mandalas. Thus, it is not yet completely clear when and where the image of gotokaku appeared for the first time in the form which we find it on mandalas and in Japanese iconographic guidelines of the XVIIth-XVIIIth centuries. It is clear that the instrument had Chinese origin; Chinese literature sources refers to it as “ancient”. During the medieval times it was known as wutong jiao. There is a chance that different instruments with different methods of production and sound extraction were known under the same name in both countries.

«Живые образы» против «обмирщения»: альтернативные интерпретации стиля японской скульптуры эпохи Камакура

In this article, I revise some ideas that were developed by Soviet and Russian scholars in regard to sculpture of the Kamakura period (1185–1333). N. A. Vinogradova and Y. A. Kuzhel’ use in their writings such notions as “proximity to common people” and “secularization” when describing the style of this sculpture. However, from this perspective it is impossible to make sense of such common customs of the period as putting dedication materials inside the sculpture or the creation of “naked” statues. Exploring the source of such interpretation, I suggest that it derives from the circumstances of the Soviet times preventing scholars from investigating too closely the religious context of the art. On the other hand, I make a point that the dialogue or opposition of the religious (abstract) and naturalistic (secular) is a common place of the art historical discourse, probably deriving from the Vienna school of art history. I suggest revising this interpretation of Kamakura sculpture according to the latest scholarship of Buddhist imagery. In this scholarship, we can frequently see the notion of the “living images”, meaning that Buddhist cult images can be regarded as living entities not only on popular level, but also in writings of Buddhist teachers on the subject. With references to religious studies written in Russian and English, I introduce theories and ideas of Japanese Buddhist teachers relevant to the understanding of sculpture of the Kamakura period. As it turns out, the word “living” is particularly relevant to the Kamakura statues as it is precisely during these times that the cult of statues as living Buddhas (shōjin butsu) has spread. According to Japanese scholars, this cult can be the very reason of the naturalistic rendering of the statues and the way the inner space was adorned. Thus, we can hardly speak about the “secularization” of Kamakura sculpture.

Elucidation of the history of coastal utilization of the Setouchi islands, Japan by multifaceted analysis and three-dimensional geological modelling

Three of the four main islands in Japan are separated by the Seto Inland Sea in the country's Setouchi region. This area is an important inland sea of Japan and is interesting for researchers in various fields because of its historically active exchange and trade. Associate Professor Keisuke Makibayashi, Research Center for Asian Archaeology of Industry and Culture, Ehime University, Japan, is involved in a project focused on the Miyan'na site, which is a salt-making site from the Kofun period and the Kamakura period on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea in Ehime Prefecture that is seeking to restore the lost landscape. This work involves the use of different research methods such as particle size analysis, soil physics and chemistry analysis, as well as organising a cross-sectional view of the Miyan'na site, performing 3D geological modelling, using scientific data to explain beach ridges and understand historical human activities, and performing excavations. Ultimately, the researchers want to return the landscape to the local community, thereby contributing to the people in the area. The research is also expected to make important contributions to archaeology, history and environmental science.

Integration of Nichiren Sects in the Taisho Era

Each of the various subsects of the Nichiren school refers to the sect or school that has Nichiren as its founder. From Nichiren’s time in the Kamakura period, his disciples formed an organization that expanded with the progress of time. In the Muromachi period, its priests of the sect were active in various places, and among them, a number of branches were formed based on differences in doctrine and disagreements over succession. The organization that emerged from these branches was organized by the head temple as a result of religious control during the Edo period, and then reborn as a modern sect as a result of the religious policies of the early Meiji period. Through this process, the Nichiren sects became nine in the Taisho period (1912–1926), and seven of them began concrete activities to unify them in 1914. These activities were triggered by the commemoration in 1902 of the 650th anniversary of the founding of Nichiren Buddhism, the subsequent rise of Nichiren shugi 日蓮主義 (Nichirenism), which became a social phenomenon, and the sect’s involvement in World War I. In this paper, I consider the integration activities conducted by each subsect of Nichiren’s followers during the Taisho era, including the background of the conference held in 1914 with the chief abbot of each subsect in attendance.

斧の刃痕の分析－飛鳥時代から鎌倉時代の建築部材刃痕に関する調査報告 その１－

斧の刃痕の分析－飛鳥時代から鎌倉時代の建築部材刃痕に関する調査報告 その１－

日本中世和化漢文における非使役「令」の機能

日本中世和化漢文における非使役「令」の機能

ON THE LAST WORD “TEI” OF ARISTOCRACY RESIDENCES IN HEIAN AND KAMAKURA PERIODS

In ancient China, there are three meanings for the architectural “Tei” (亭): “Yadori”, “Monomidai”, and “Azumaya”. Among them, “Azumaya” has its usage in Japan, and it seems to originate from China. However, there are unique changes in China and Japan. “Chitei” (池亭) usually refers to a pavilion beside the pond, but it is said that there was also the meaning of a villa or a garden in the Tang Dynasty. In ancient Japan, it sometimes referred to as a residence. The Japanese word “Tei” (亭) has been seen as the last word of the residence name in the middle of the 9th century, and it has been widely used and generalized. I will clarify the actual condition of the last word “Tei” (亭) of aristocratic residences in the Heian and Kamakura period that can be seen in “Hyakurensho” “Azumakagami” and “Kitsuki”. It is essential to compare it with “Tei” (第).

Research work of Prof. Tomita, including: 1. Examination of environmental vibration measurement using vibration control rubber on carpet. 2. Measures against floor impact sound by heavy-impact source using storage furniture with tatami. 3. Study on tatami mat considering safety when falling in case of falling collision and sound insulation performance. 4. Research on evaluation method and evaluation rank for vertical

A tatami is a type of mat used as a floor material in many rooms in Japan. They are also used in training rooms, such as in a dojo or martial arts, and are often covered with woven straw. Tatami mats were used as flooring materials for buildings in the Kamakura period (c. 1185) and have a long history. Tatami is often used in the Japanese-style room of today's homes. Generally, tatami mats are 55 mm thick; some mats are made of mostly straw and some made of insulation board and extruded polystyrene foam. The surface of both types of mats is covered with tatami facing. More recently, tatami mats made of insulation board and extruded polystyrene foam are used in homes. Despite their presence in Japanese buildings, there are several problems associated with tatami mats and other floor materials. One of the potential problems concerns the safety of individuals who fall on the mats, while another is the sound created by impact on the mats, such as when people walk or run across them. Research is underway to find effective ways of improving the sound insulation performance of floor materials at the same time as considering the safety of the inhabitants of the buildings with the mats in them. One team, which is investigating means of improving tatami mats and the materials used to build them, is based at the College of Science and Technology in Nihon University, Japan. Led by Professor Ryuta Tomita, the team is engaged with several projects revolving around overcoming heavy-weight floor impact sound insulation performance and safety of individuals who fall on tatami mats.

"Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba" (Illustrated Account of the Mongol Invasions)

This paper is a study of a Japanese illustrated handscroll produced in the late Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba, that provides an invaluable pictorial account of the two attempted Mongol invasions of Japan in the years 1274 and 1281. It was copied and restored, with some images significantly altered, during the Edo period (1615-1868). While in the original handscroll the appearances of the foreign Mongols were depicted as accurately as possible, the figures added later show exaggerated features and distortions that correspond to new modes of imagining and representing peoples reflecting a new language and the shifting cosmologies brought about by the Japanese encounter with more “different” Others (Europeans).