Temple Monks and Hijiri: The People Who Supported the Management of Temple Landholdings

1
Temple Monks and Hijiri The People Who Supported
the Management of Temple Landholdings

• Nagamura Makoto
• Japan Womens University

2
Introduction

• Primary support for medieval temples was provided
  by temple-owned estates
• Temples collaborated with local administrators to
  manage estates
• Kamakura-era Tôdaiji estates managed by
• Regular temple monks
• Kanjin hijiri under direction of Chôgen
• Example Ôbe estate

3
Regular monks at Tôdaiji

• Scholar-monks
• Lower-ranking service monks
• Both belonged to monastic order had rights
  duties accordingly
• Performed ritual chanting, presented offerings
  during services, helped to maintain temple

4
Monastic offices

• Director (bettô)
• Chief priest (shikyô) 3 deans (sangô) managed
  Tôdaiji itself
• Custodians (azukaridokoro) rent collection
  officials (jôtsukai kyûshu) who managed temple
  landholdings
• Scholar-monks also involved in temple management
  as well as study, sometimes traveled to Tôdaiji
  estates

5
Hijiri

• Monks who abandoned their position at a temple OR
• Unofficial religious practitioners who
• Built temples
• Made images
• Copied sutras

6
Tôdaiji Restoration Kanjin

• Kamakura period Tôdaiji was rebuilt after it was
  burned down
• Chôgen (at left) headed group that collected
  donations (kanjin) for the project
• Kanjin hijiri like Chôgen respected for integrity
  
• Chôgens provincial temples stimulated
  temple-estate economy

7
Estate Management

• Todaiji office for collecting donations
  (kanjinjô) inherited functions from Chôgen his
  kanjin hijiri group
• Functions included construction repair of
  temple buildings

• Chôgen was entrusted with Ôbe estate management
• He willed this post to the Tônanin head monk
• (Chôgen distrusted the main temple, Tôdaiji)
• Ôbe estate Suô public lands provided resources
  for Tôdaiji reconstruction

8
Management from Hijiri to Temple Monks

• By willing Ôbe estate management to Tônanin head
  monks, Chôgen handed it over from hijiri to
  regular temple monks
• Rents were designated for rituals at Tôdaiji

• Autonomous temples (Jôdoji on Ôbe estate, Amidaji
  in Suô) served religious needs of residents --gt
• Hijiri used both coercive power as estate
  managers and influence based on religious beliefs

9
Conclusion

• Temple monks estate management not religious act
  but a way to guarantee temple resources
• Hijiri Estate management linked to temple
  building repair, religious services--gt virtuous
  acts that formed ties with the dharma

• Hijiri with fewer restraints they could use
  their abilities for estate management during the
  reconstruction period
• Temple monks assumed estate management after
  reconstruction was finished