Dōkyō

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Dōkyō (道鏡; 700 - 772) was a Nara Period Japanese monk of the Dharma character school. As he was born in the family of Yuge, in the lineage of the Mononobe clan, Dōkyō was also known as Yuge no Dōkyō. He was the brother of Yuge no Kiyoto.

[edit] Background

Born in Wakaegun, Kawachi Province (today Yao, Osaka), in his youth Dōkyō became the disciple of the monk Gien and learned Sanskrit from Rōben. In addition, it was said that Dōkyō acquired the mysterious spells of Esoteric Buddhism while studying in the mountains of Yamato Province.[1]

After serving as a nursing monk, in 761 he cured the illness of the then Empress Kōken (later Empress Shotoku). This earned him her political support. He was appointed Shosozu in 763 and Daijin zenji in 765. In the next year he was promoted to Hō-ō (法王; king of the dharma). With these offices he advanced political measures based on the philosophy of Buddhism.[citation needed] He obtained a divine proclamation from the Shinto god Hachiman at the Usa Shrine in Buzen Province stating "Dōkyō is to be the next Emperor." But his coronation plan failed after Fujiwara no Momokawa sent Wake no Kiyomaro to get a new divine proclamation that rejected the first one. Angry at the new proclamation, he had Wake no Kiyomaro sent into exile.[2] After Empress Shotoku died in 770, Dōkyō fell from power. He was sent to Shimotsuke Province (today Tochigi Prefecture) and died there. On April 7, 772, a report of his death came to the capital.[1]

In a temple in Minamikawachi, Tochigi, there is a tomb that is believed to be the grave of Dōkyō.

[edit] Further Reading

  • Bender, Ross (1980). "The Political Meaning of the Hachiman Cult in Ancient and Early Medieval Japan". Dissertation. Columbia University. 

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Bender, Ross (1979). "The Hachiman Cult and the Dōkyō Incident". Monumenta Nipponica 34 (2): 125–53. doi:10.2307/2384320. 
  2. ^ Hall, John Whitney (1988). The Cambridge History of Japan. Cambridge University Press, 516-517. ISBN 0521223571. 
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