December 4, 2025 | Buddhist Research Center

On December 4, 2025, the Buddhist Research Center at Fo Guang University hosted a Buddhist Studies Workshop, inviting Associate Professor Pei-ying Lin of National Chengchi University to deliver a keynote lecture entitled “Prince Shōtoku and the Transregional Networks of Tang East Asian Buddhism.” Drawing on perspectives from art history, religious narrative, textual transmission, and cross-cultural interaction, the lecture guided the audience toward a renewed understanding of Prince Shōtoku’s historical position in Japanese Buddhism and his role as a crucial node in cultural exchanges among China, Korea, and Japan.

Professor Lin emphasized that the transmission of Buddhism to Japan was not the achievement of a single individual, but rather the result of multiple routes and centuries-long flows. Although Prince Shōtoku has often been portrayed as the “founding father of Japanese Buddhism,” such narratives—like the story of Emperor Ming of the Han dreaming of a golden figure—serve a constructive function. They reinforce claims to state Buddhist orthodoxy and establish a sacred linkage between royal authority and the Dharma. These narratives reflect collective social psychology while revealing how Buddhist identity was continually reimagined in different historical periods.

A particularly notable section of the lecture examined the legend that Prince Shōtoku was the eighth reincarnation of the Tiantai patriarch Huisi. This idea first appeared in The Transmission of the Dharma-Gate of Chan Master Huisi of Mount Nanyue by Du Fei and was further elaborated by influential authors such as Situo in a series of texts from the eighth to ninth centuries. Ultimately, this reincarnation narrative became a foundational lineage discourse for Japanese Buddhism. The significance of these legends lies not necessarily in their historical accuracy, but in how they were deployed to strengthen sectarian genealogies, legitimize political authority, and respond to the institutional needs of organized religion. Professor Lin illustrated this process through the well-known “old beggar of Kataoka Mountain” story: while the earliest version simply recounts Prince Shōtoku offering alms to a beggar who later disappears, Mitsusada—disciple of Saichō—added a crucial element by identifying the beggar as Bodhidharma, symbolizing the eastward transmission of Chan.

Another highlight of the lecture was the discussion of the authenticity of the “Tang-style Imperial Portrait” (Tangbon Miei). Although long regarded as the earliest portrait of Prince Shōtoku, University of Tokyo scholar Imaeda Aishin has argued that the figure depicted is not Prince Shōtoku but rather a Tang Chinese person, possibly produced by artisans of Baekje origin. Through cross-cultural analysis, Professor Lin stressed that many of the monks, attendants, and craftsmen associated with Prince Shōtoku came from the Korean Peninsula. Baekje artisans not only participated in the construction of Hōryū-ji but also profoundly shaped early Japanese Buddhist art through their metalworking and woodcarving techniques. Meanwhile, descendant Korean communities reinforced their sense of belonging in Japanese society through religious narratives—for example, the founding legend of Shitennō-ji vividly illustrates the deep religious and cultural exchanges between Japan and Baekje.

The lecture also incorporated analyses of several Tang-dynasty visual sources, including the “Envoys and Guests” mural from the tomb of Prince Zhanghuai, Dunhuang murals, and the Shōsōin wooden slip depicting Pavilions and Landscapes. By comparing clothing and iconography in Japanese and Tang paintings, Professor Lin observed that “the flow of East Asian culture was never unidirectional; Japanese perceptions of China and Korea often occupied a gray zone, while representations of their own culture demanded clear definition.” This insight underscores that images are not merely works of art, but condensed expressions of politics, culture, and identity.

In conclusion, Professor Lin noted that the image and legends of Prince Shōtoku represent an ongoing process of construction, reflecting the needs of identity formation in Japanese Buddhism, sectarian competition, narratives of cultural origins, and the complex interactions among Japan, Korea, and China. The value of historical narratives lies not only in their factual accuracy, but also—and perhaps more importantly—in the socio-cultural logic behind why they are told in particular ways.