2b: Sugawara no Michizane

"Michizane as Tenjin":

Sugawara no Michizane was a great Chinese poet and statesman, who ran afoul of the Fujiwara who were in the process of taking political control of the country at the time. The Fujiwara falsely accused Michizane of treason, and so were able to get him banished to Kyushu, where he died in exile. Within a relatively short period after his death, he became identified as a goryô. This chapter from Borgen's book on Michizane traces the historical development of his transformation from a vengeful goryô identified with the Deity of Thunder, to the pacified Tenman Tenjin, identified as the Patron Saint (so to speak) of students and scholars. NOTE: Borgen gives a summary of the historical development of Michizane into a deity in two places: p. 309 and p. 325.

1) Michizane's revenge on his false accusers and their descendants takes what forms in the Heian period?

2) How does Michizane come to be identified with the Thunder God? How is his evil spirit pacified and transformed so that he becomes the relatively benign Deity of Scholarship (Tenman Tenjin)? What part do oracles and personal visions play in this transformation?

3) How do the common people view Michizane? That is, how does popular worship of Michizane link up to popular political protest? How did the elite Fujiwara aristocrats gain control of the cult?

"The God of Fire and Thunder," Japanese Tales, pp. 144-49

This is the vision of a yamabushi named Dôken (who in this story is given a new name, Nichizô), which he recorded in 941 and presented to the court. It is mentioned in Borgen's chapter (pp. 315-318).

1) What kind of typical shamanic experience does Dôken have?

2) How are various natural catastrophes explained in this vision?

3) According to Michizane, how did he become pacified?

4) How do the two deities, Zao Gongen (in Borgen, called Zao Bosatsu) and Hachiman, relate to the Thunder God? (For more information on Zao Gongen click here, see also "The Wizard of the Mountain" #88 from Japanese Tales; for more information on Hachiman, click here and scroll down.) Why would Zao Gongen be likely to appear to a yamabushi like Dôken?

5) What might seem odd about the description of Emperor Daigo at the end?

6) What do you think the goal of this text was? That is, what was Dôken trying to accomplish by presenting this vision to the court?

General Question to consider:

In the story of Sugawara no Michizane, how do you see beliefs about ghosts reinforcing and subverting power politics in Heian Japan? You should look for examples of how religion is used politically by the governing elite, as well as by the common people.

Class Discussion Questions to be answered for Week 2b

Week 3a: Intro to Mononoke and Lady Rokujô

Reading:
[OL] "The House Had a Spacious Courtyard" (Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon) and
excerpt from Murasaki Shikibu, Her Diary and Poetic Memoirs [click here]
[OL] poem from Murasaki Shikibu's poetry collection;
[OL] Tale of Genji, "Heartvine" (159-175)
Review: Catalpa Bow, pp. 298-301
[OL] supplementary reading: click here for a synopsis of Tale of Genji (to give context for the chapter)
[OL] supplementary reading: [OL] Bowring, Murasaki Shikibu: The Tale of Genji
"The Cultural Background" pp. 1-21

Reading Questions:

NOTE: The first two readings are on the same pdf file. The Murasaki Shikibu diary exerpt begins on the second page of the pdf file. The diary translation is on the right, with notes on the left. So you need to read consecutive right pages.

"The House Had a Spacious Courtyard" (discussed in Catalpa Bow, p. 299)
This excerpt describes an exorcism that took place around 1000 C.E.

1) Does this description follow the basic organization of an exoricism as outlined by Carmen Blacker? What role does the young woman play? The esoteric priest?

2) What is Sei Shonagon's attitude towards this exorcism? Do you think she believes in it?
 

Excerpt from Murasaki Shikibu, Her Diary and Poetic Memoirs (discussed in Catalpa Bow, p. 299)
Murasaki Shikibu, the author of Tale of Genji, was a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shôshi (also known as Akiko), a daughter of the most powerful man of the time, Fujiwara Michinaga. This excerpt describes the scene around Empress Shôshi as she goes through childbirth.

1) Why would there be so much anxiety about the childbirth? What political issues might be at work here?

2) What kinds of rituals are performed? Who are the active exorcists? Who are the mediums?

Tale of Genji, "Heartvine": This chapter describes how Prince Genji's wife, Aoi (or Aoi no Ue), is attacked and killed by one of his mistresses, Rokujô. It will probably be helpful to read a synopsis of the tale (esp. chapters 1, 2, 4, 5) to understand the context. See also this genealogical chart for character relationships. But note that even if you have been reading the book from the beginning, this is the first mention of Rokujô -- the reader is not given much backstory! At the start of this chapter, Rokujô's husband, the Crown Prince, has been dead for about 9 years or so and she has a 13 year old daughter who is being sent to Ise as the priestess. While reading, pay close attention to how the attack on Aoi occurs.

1) What incident precipitates Rokujô's attack on Aoi no Ue? How does Rokujô feel about the attack? Is she conscious of her actions?

2) What form does Rokujô's spirit take in her attacks? What effect does the attack seem to have on Aoi no Ue's personality? How does Genji find out that Rokujô is responsible?

3) How does Buddhism and shamanic exorcism function in this story? What role do the priests play?

Poem from Murasaki Shikibu's poetry collection:

A poem written about a painting on a screen:

Someone had drawn on a scroll the unpleasant form of a woman possessed by an evil spirit. Behind the possessed woman, a priest was restraining the husband's former wife, who had appeared as a demon. The husband was trying to subdue the evil spirit by reading a sutra.