12 Prince Shoutoku [2]

Prince Shoutoku set the cap ranks and the constitution, thereby solidifying the foundation of the nation. These were the most important accomplishments in terms of internal governance; in international affairs, he delivered performance of equal stature.

Until that time China was divided latitudinally into two kingdoms confronting each other. Then came the powerful Kingdom of Sui, which unified the two. It was 605 when Emperor Yang ascended the throne, succeeding his father. This was the year after the Seventeen-Article Constitution was formulated in Japan. Emperor Yang was ecstatic at his feat of unifyting the Chinese continent, so the era was named Taiye, meaning "great accomplishment."

In the third year of the Taiye era (608), Emperor Yang received a diplomatic document from the Japanese envoy Ono no Imoko. The custom of China was to consider itself as the great central kingdom, regarding the surrounding countries as minor. In this protocol, the minor country should submit to the great Kingdom of China. Thus it expected the message to follow in content and attitude that line of subjugation. But when the document was opened, they were aghast. Is said:

"The son of Heaven in the land where the sun rises addresses a latter to the Son of Heaven in the land where the sun sets. We hope you are in good health."

This was a letter from an equal to an equal. Emperor Yang was offended, and ordered the bureaucrats of the international affairs ministry never to convey such an insulting diplomatic document again. This is succinctly recorded in the Histroy of Sui Dynasty (Suishu).

Even though Emperor Yang did not like the document, diplomatic ties with Japan were desirable. So he sent a Chinese diplomat Pei Shiqing to accompany Ono no Imoko when he returned to Japan the next year. Prince Shoutoku welcomed the Chinese envoy, and treated him well. When the time came for Pei Shiqing to return to Sui, the Prince sent Ono no Imoko again as the Envoy of Japan. The diplomatic document that Ono no Imoko took this time has been also recorded in Chronicles of Japan (Nihon Shoki). It begins:

"The Emperpr of the East respectfully address the Emperor of the West."

The phrasing was different, but the meaning and the attitude behind it was the same as the previous year. In China, such diplomacy between equals was very rare, and therefore the incidents were recorded in their state history, and talked about for generations. All this was attributable to the judgement of Prince Shoutoku.

The Prince felt that Japan should not be diplomatically submissive when dealing with powerful neighbouring nations, but neither did he believe in ethnocentric isolation. Thus he actively adopted the scholarship and culture of foreign countries. When Ono no Imoko went to China for the second time, the Prince had eight students accompany him: Fukuin, Emyou, Kuromaro, Ohkuni, Nichimon, Shouan, Eon, Kousai. They were either immigrants themselves, or the descendants of immigrants to Japan. This indicates that the Japanese Court valued the immigrants, and they contributed in return to the development of Japanese civilization. Incidentally, of these eight students, two returned to Japan after thirty-one years, and another two after thirty-two years. The Prince's policy must have been to let them pursue scholarship without haste, taking time.

Thus the Prince devised the constitution and set the cap ranks, thereby defining the internal nature of the nation and instituting the political and legal systems. However, the essence of the nation, or the national character, permeates through history. So devising the political and legal systems was not enough; the history of Japan must be investigated. The Prince, assisted by Soga no Umako, the Great Minister, set about the compilation of history. Chronicles of Emperors (Tennouki), National History (Kokki), and histories of the major clans were transcribed at this time.

In such an enterprise, the necessity to use dates became urgent. Myth and tales can start with "once upon a tine," but that is not history. History is defined by time, "when ?" and space, "where ?". In Japan, events had been orally transmitted, lacking definition in time and space. That is why the principles of interpreting astronomical phenomena as causes for earthly matters were adopted from China.

According to this system, major historical changes occur every 1260 years, and revolutionary changes occur only in kanoto-bird years. Therefore the 9th year of Emperor Suiko (601), which was the kanoto-bird year, was calibrated as the beginning of the new era, and the kanoto-bird year 1260 yeas previous (660 B.C.) was set as the year of founding of the nation by Emperor Jinmu. The historical events were accordingly placed into that interval, as I explained in chapters 3 and 4 on "Imperial History."

Because of this reasoning, the ancient periodization of Japan was necessarily stretched out. But the idea that the reign of Empress Suiko opened up a new era must have a basis in reality. People saw new and brilliant government led by Prince Shoutoku, and furthermore, they saw its concrete outcome in the construction of the beautiful and majestic temples that resulted from the open-handed adoption of Buddhism.

When Buddhism was first transmitted to Japan, Soga no Iname welcomed it, and Mononobe no Okoshi and Nakatomi no Kamako disliked it and opposed its adoption, as I have explaind. Seemingly the opposition won, the statue of Buddha was sunk in a canal in Naniwa (Ohsaka), and the temples burnt. However, the Soga clan never abandoned the faith. During the reign of Emperor Youmei (r. 585-587), the second generation carried on their parent's convictions: on the one side, Soga no Umako, and on the other, Mononobe no Moriya and Nakatomi no Katsumi fought against each other. Eventually both Nakatomi no Katsumi and Mononobe no Moriya were murdered, and the Soga clan rose in power. The adoption of Buddhism became more widespread as well.

It was Prince Shoutoku who studied Buddhism in depth. As mentioned previously, in the second article of the constitution he stated: "Sincerely reverence the There Treasures (The Law, the Buddha, and the Priesthood)." In the Palace, the Prince lectured on the Lotus Sutra and the Queen Srimala Sutra, explaining their contents. Surprisingly, he also wrote commentaries to the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Queen Srimala Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra.

Later some of these commentaries were lost, but the commentary for the Lotus Sutra has been preserved, and is stored as an imperial treasure in the Palace. It has been valued since antiquity. There are hand-copied and printed reproductions, but the commentary stored as the imperial treasure is the original hand-written version by the Prince. The date of production is not clear, but it was written before the 30th year of the reign of Empress Suiko (622), when the Prince passed away. That makes it about 1350 years old.

There are older inscriptions where writing is engraved on metal or stone. However, the Lotus Sutra commentaty is the most ancient writing preserved on paper in Japan. The span of 1350 years is indeed a long time. Cases of preserving such ancient writing on paper are rare in the world, and they were hidden in caves or underground. This commentary was stored in a wooden building, revered by every generation, for neary 1400 years, portraying well the national character of Japan.

Such was the depth of Prince Shoutoku's scholarship on Buddhism. But what was visible to the people and touched their hearts was the Buddhist temple buildings. At that time, in Asuka (Nara Prefecture), Soga no Umako built Houkouji-Temple. It seems the building was equipped with great halls and towers. However, Shitennouji-Temple in Ohsaka, and Houryuuji-Temple in Ikaruga (Nara Prefecture) which the Prince built, continue till this day astound the people, and have been revered deeply.
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