A Monk for All Seasons: Visions of Jien (1155–1225) in Medieval Japan

Jien's familial connection to the highest echelons of state bureaucracy ensured his rapid rise and fall within the Tendai Buddhist establishment, illustrating his duality as cleric and worldly politician. Yet the divided portrait of Jien refracted by different academic disciplines obscures Jien's life and motivations. Using materials written by and about him, I examine Jien's rise to prominence, his connection to the power centers of his day, his role as a spiritual authority, his investiture of land and positions to his disciples, and his often-ignored role as a prophetic visionary to paint a more holistic picture of his life. I argue that Jien held a consistent spiritually infused worldview most visible during a confrontation with his former sovereign, Retired Emperor Gotoba, on the eve of the Jōkyū War (1221). I argue we can only understand that confrontation by reconciling his political interests and his religious faith.

摘要:

摘要 ：宗教者でもあり政治家でもあった鎌倉時代の僧慈円 (1155–1225) は、政権中枢部 にあった親類の後援により天台座主に就任した。二心を抱いたという批判をしばしば浴 びたが、慈円の生涯と思想の検討をとおして、その信仰と政治思想が一貫したと論じる。