The Country of Japan in Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Genki

Abstract

Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Genki (Records of the Miracles of the Lotus Sūtra in the Great Country of Japan, 1040s), discussing various ways of venerating the most important book of the Buddhist canon, at the same time gives a unique picture of Japan in the mid-Heian era. The ‘Country of Japan’ as the place of accomplishment of the deeds predicted in the Sūtra is mentioned in the remarks of the characters looking at the country from the outside: from China, from the Korean Peninsula, from the world of the gods, from the Dark Road, where judgment is carried out on the dead. The narrator speaks about ‘Japan’ when he notes the beginning of customs new to the country, but known to the rest of the world, dating back to the Lotus Sūtra.
The Hokke Genki differs from other Heian texts in its broader geographical coverage, although there is no description of local traditions associated with the Sūtra. The narrator’s attention is focused on Mount Hiei near the capital, where the monks of the Tendai school study the Sūtra, as well as on the famous mountains and shrines where the common veneration of gods and Buddhas is customary. At the same time, the veneration of the Kumano and Mitake mountains already looks well-known, and the Atago caves near the capital, the “hell valley” in the Tachiyama Mountains in the Etch region, and the mountains in the Hōki region are described as if their shrines were still only familiar to few people. Many stories are related to pilgrimage routes, dangerous but promising amazing encounters. The pilgrim’s goal does not seem to be walking the path prescribed in the Sūtra, but rather conveying its teaching (about the ability of every being to become a Buddha) to as many inhabitants of the country as possible.