Centrality of the Buddhist Shingon-in 真言院

In 834, the year before he died, the powerful Buddhist leader Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi--we will get to him in a later chapter) received imperial approval to construct a "Shingon-in" near the center of the main palace compound in the Heian capital. This facility was a relatively small chapel where the performance of esoteric Buddhist rites for protection of the state and the health of the emperor were conducted. Most important were the so-called "Latter Seven-day Rites" (goshichinichi mi-zuhō 後七日御修法, also pronounced goshichinichi mi-shihō or goshichinichi mi-shiho--don't worry about remembering this term). They consisted of a week-long series of rituals, which started on the first day of the second week of the new year. These rituals included the burning of a sacred fire (goma 護摩), the chanting of mantras (syllables of sound thought to possess mysterious efficacy), and incantation rites (gyoi kaji 御衣加持, literally "sacred robe empowerment") in which the emperor received prayers for his protection (directly if there in person or via his robe if not). The main point of all these rites was to revitalize the sacred power of the emperor.

The Shingon-in was significant for several reasons, but let us focus here on only one straightforward point: its location within the palace compound. Location mattered greatly in Heian Japan, and the entire capital was laid out in terms of geomantic principles. Look at the diagram below and notice how large the imperial palace complex was. It was the location of all of the major offices of government as well as the imperial living quarters. The center of the complex was the Dairi 内裏, which is circled in green. This was the imperial living quarters. The relative importance of all the other structures can be judged by their proximity to the Dairi (both sheer distance and alignment).

To the left of the Dairi is the Chūwain 中和院, where the niinamesai 新嘗祭 (a ritual banquet between the deities and emperor to promote bountiful harvests) was conducted each year. The niinamesai was the most important of the regularly-scheduled imperial ceremonies. The Chūwain is circled in red. Next to to it is the Shingon-in, which is circled in blue. Significantly, the Dairi, Chūwain, and Shingon-in line up on an east-west axis and are directly in the middle of the imperial palace compound. These structures were of the utmost importance, and key government ministries surround them.

The Bureau of Divination is circled in purple. It's proximity to the Dairi indicates that it, too, was extremely important, but not quite on the same level as the three structures in the direct center on the east-west axis. Much farther away is the Division of Supernatural Affairs, which (recall from the main text) dealt with official rites concerning the native deities. It is circled in orange.

The main point: Buddhism (particularly Shingon, a form of esoteric Buddhism we will study later) was more important to the emperor and top central government officials than was the Bureau of Divination or the Division of Supernatural Affairs. As we will see, Buddhism became the dominant force in almost all aspects of medieval Japanese culture. It even incorporated Japan's native deities into itself via the honji-suijaku formula (which we will study later).

(For details about these and many other related matters, see Yamori Tetsuo, Wandering Spirits and Temporary Corpses: Studies in the History of Japanese Religious Tradition, Dennis Hirota, ed., trans., [Kyoto, Japan: International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), 2005], esp. pp. 155-192 and pp. 245-267.)

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