Kirigami (Soto Zen)
Encyclopedia
The kirigami were esoteric documents of the Sōtō
school in medieval Japan which "reflect a creative use of traditional kōan records integrated with popular religious themes such as devotion to local gods and the exorcism of demonic spirits." For instance, "Various kirigami present the deity of Hakusan as a form of Izanagi
, of Kannon, or a dragon-king." Some kirigami "describe talisman
s that women had to carry or swallow to purify themselves from blood defilement when they attended religious ceremonies." 'Kirigami were also "'notes' or 'memos' transmitted from master to disciple together with oral or esoteric teachings; they included instructions in the various functions of a temple priest, including memorial services and necrologies, both of which were conducted with the explicit aim of perpetuating social discrimination." Bernard Faure writes that the kirigami were "...documents whose diagrammatic aspect and ritual function bring to mind the prophetic scriptures (chanwei) of Confucian imperial ideology and Daoist talismans studied by Anna Seidel
." Steven Heine
writes that, "[the] tradition of using kirigami was widespread in diverse medieval apprenticeship programs."
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
school in medieval Japan which "reflect a creative use of traditional kōan records integrated with popular religious themes such as devotion to local gods and the exorcism of demonic spirits." For instance, "Various kirigami present the deity of Hakusan as a form of Izanagi
Izanagi
is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shinto, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male-who-invites" or Izanagi-no-mikoto. It is also pronounced Izanaki-no-Okami....
, of Kannon, or a dragon-king." Some kirigami "describe talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
s that women had to carry or swallow to purify themselves from blood defilement when they attended religious ceremonies." 'Kirigami were also "'notes' or 'memos' transmitted from master to disciple together with oral or esoteric teachings; they included instructions in the various functions of a temple priest, including memorial services and necrologies, both of which were conducted with the explicit aim of perpetuating social discrimination." Bernard Faure writes that the kirigami were "...documents whose diagrammatic aspect and ritual function bring to mind the prophetic scriptures (chanwei) of Confucian imperial ideology and Daoist talismans studied by Anna Seidel
Anna Seidel
Anna Katharina Seidel was a German Sinologist who was regarded as an authority in the study of Taoism. During her 22 years at the Institut du Hobogirin of the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient in Kyoto, Seidel had become the centre of gravity for the many Western scholars of East Asian studies who...
." Steven Heine
Steven Heine
Steven Heine, Ph.D., is a Professor of Religion and History as well as Director of the Institute for Asian Studies at Florida International University . He specializes in East Asian and comparative religions, Japanese Buddhism and medieval intellectual history, Buddhist studies, and religion and...
writes that, "[the] tradition of using kirigami was widespread in diverse medieval apprenticeship programs."