In Her Likeness: Female Divinity and Leadership at Medieval Chūgūji

This study takes as its focus the medieval deification of Prince Shōtoku's mother, Anahobe no Hashihito. Long associated with the Nara nunnery Chūgūji, Empress Hashihito was resurrected as patron goddess of the nunnery in the medieval period, when Chūgūji was restored and expanded by the nun Sh...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Japanese journal of religious studies
Autor principal: Meeks, Lori Rachelle 1976- (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publicado: Nanzan Institute [2007]
En: Japanese journal of religious studies
Otras palabras clave:B Empresses
B Women
B Ordinations
B Buddhism
B Narratives
B Priests
B Convents
B Nuns
B Divinity
B Mandalas
Acceso en línea: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Descripción
Sumario:This study takes as its focus the medieval deification of Prince Shōtoku's mother, Anahobe no Hashihito. Long associated with the Nara nunnery Chūgūji, Empress Hashihito was resurrected as patron goddess of the nunnery in the medieval period, when Chūgūji was restored and expanded by the nun Shinnyo (1211-?). Images of Empress Hashihito and the Nun Shinnyo take center stage in the literature and art associated with Chūgūji. This article argues that medieval Chūgūji narratives effectively ignore androcentric Buddhist teachings in favor of popular legends that present Empress Hashihito as a female deity and Shinnyo as a female Buddhist exemplar. That Chūgūji materials offer these seemingly positive images of Buddhist women challenges the commonly held scholarly assumption that medieval Japanese women fully internalized the disparaging views of the female body disseminated in Buddhist doctrinal texts.
Obras secundarias:Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies