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覺禪鈔

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: Excerpts of Kakuzen

Senses:

  • The Kakuzen-shō. 136 fasc. [TZ.4.387ff, 5.1ff], compiled by Kakuzen 覺禪 (1143-?) c. 1183–1213. This is one of the most comprehensive works on rituals and iconography of the Shingon school 眞言宗, of which Kakuzen belonged to the Ono branch 小野流. He was a disciple of Kōzen 興然 (1121–1203) who represented the Kajūji branch 勸修寺流 within the Ono branch, from 19 years of age until a little past 35 (c. 1161–1178). He then he became disciple of Shōken 勝賢 (1138–1196), who represented the Sanbōin stream 三寶院 within the Ono branch. He visited many other temples and locations in his research on ritual and iconography. From 1183, he began to write his compilation using the data he had gathered. In his last years, he returned to the Kajūji, where he lived in the Jōdoin 淨土院. His last activities are recorded as having taken place during the winter of 1213. One can say that the Kakuzen-shō represents the ritual tradition of the branch Ono of the later 12th to early 13th centuries, although it also broadly includes traditions of other branches of the Shingon school. [n.iyanaga]
  • There are many manuscripts of the Kakuzen-shō, with the number of fascicles varying depending on the manuscript; there are versions in 100 fasc. 111 fasc. 121 fasc. 128 fasc. 144 fasc. 156 fasc. etc. The Taishō Zuzō vol. 4 and 5 contains the 136 fascicle version (based principally on the manuscript which preserved at the Kajūji, and now kept at the Nara National Museum), and the Dai Nihon Bukkyō Zensho vol. 45–51 contains the 141 fascicle version (this edition is based principally on the manuscript preserved at the Zōjōji 增上寺). There are other recent editions: Fujisawa Norio 藤澤令夫, Nakagawa Hisayasu 中川久定, ed. Bukkyō Bijutsu Kenkyū Ueno Kinen Zaidan Josei Kenkyū-kai Hōkokusho 佛教美術研究上野記念財團助成研究會報告書, Zuzō Shūsei 圖像蒐成, vol. 2–7, Kyōto, 1994–2000 (partial edition of the manuscript of the Mantokuji 萬德寺) and Kakuzen-shō Kenkyūkai 覺禪鈔研究會, Tsukuba Jōhen 筑波常遍, ed. Kajūji Zenpon Eiin Shūsei 勸修寺善本影印集成, vol. 1–10, Wakayama-ken Kōya-chō, Shinnō-in Gyōei Bunko 和歌山縣高野町, 親王院堯榮文庫, 2000- (version in 112 fasc.). [n.iyanaga]
  • Below is a list of the sections of the Kakuzen-shō contained in the Taishō Zuzō edition:The text contains 392 illustrations, with 72 other figures of reference (sankō zuzō 參考圖像). [n.iyanaga]
  • From an iconographical standpoint, the Kakuzen-shō is characterized by the fact that the author gathers many unusual models, sometimes omitting the more representative or "orthodox" ones (certainly because he considers the latter already be well known); there are also many images of statues and paintings that he drew himself de visu (and these are of the greatest interest to the art historian). As for the textual content, each fascicle, devoted to a deity, typically contains several sections: a short bibliography of the basic works related to the rituals of that deity; quotations from these works on the name of the deity, on the efficacies of the different rituals consecrated to that deity; oral traditions of masters of different esoteric schools; different iconographies with images; methods of contemplation/visualization of that deity (dōjō-kan 道場觀); records of rituals performed at such and such occasions, etc. It often contains also supplementary notes added on the reverse side of the paper (uragaki 裏書). While textual citations are generally accurate, the titles of the cited works are most often noted in abridged form, so they are not easily identifiable. Like the iconographic data, we find in the textual data many unusual traditions.—All in all, this work is one of the most important sources on the ritual traditions of the Shingon school at the beginning of Middle Ages in Japan. [n.iyanaga]
  • Bibliography:

    2004. Kakuzen shō no kenkyū. Takano-chō (Wakayama Prefecture):  Shin'ōin gyōei bunkō.

    Frank, Bernard. 2000. Dieux et Bouddhas au Japon. Paris:  Editions Odile Jacob. 249–254. [Travaux du Collège de France]

    [n.iyanaga]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 139

    Fo Guang Dictionary 6800

    Bussho kaisetsu daijiten (Ono) ②65a*

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)414b

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 2003-04-17

    Updated: 2010-02-16