Correspondence from A.N. Meshcheryakov
Institute of Oriental Studies
Academy of Sciences, Moscow



Monumenta Nipponica, Volume XXXVIII, Number 1, Spring 1983



I was greatly impressed by Dr. Ross Bender's valuable article, 'The Hachiman Cult and the Dokyo Incident', in Monumenta Nipponica, XXXIV:2, but I would like to discuss one major issue which is of much significance as regards the cultural and political history of eighth-century Japan.

We can sum up one of the most important conclusions of this article by quoting Dr. Bender's own words:'...during the Nara period there was a crisis in the emperor's relations with the gods; since the gods were appealed to as an ultimate sanction for human reign, this meant a crisis of legitimacy' (p.146).

Nobody can deny the growing power of Buddhism in the Nara period and its influence over political issues in Japan was quite significant. But at the same time, one should not overestimate this power, and this may be proved by a qualitative and quantitative analysis of Nihon Shoki and Shoku Nihongi.



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