Shotoku: Ethnicity, Ritual, and Violence in the Japanese Buddhist Tradition

Prince Shotoku (573?-622?), the purported founder of Japanese Buddhism, is widely referred to as Japan's first national hero. The cult that grew up around his memory is recognized as one of the most important phenomena in early Japanese religion. This book examines the creation and evolution of the Shotoku cult over the roughly 200 years following his death—a period that saw a series of revolutionary developments in the history of Japanese religion. Michael Como highlights the activities of...