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Paper short abstract

This presentation demonstrates that during the mid-Kamakura period, a large-scale renovation project prompted the reinvention of Mount Kongō’s origin stories within the frameworks of Japanese mythology redefining Mount Kongō as both peripheral and central to Buddhist doctrine and imperial authority.

Paper long abstract

This presentation clarifies how during the mid-Kamakura period, the origin stories (engi) and history of Mount Kongō were recreated within the framework of Japanese mythology and Buddhist history, coinciding with a large-scale renovation project. From the late Heian period onward, among the sacred mountains linked to mountain asceticism, the most revered were Mount Ōmine and Mount Kazuragi, whose main peak was Mount Kongō. In the late Heian period, Mount Kongō was empowered by: ① its identification with the “Vajra Mountain” of the Avataṃsaka sūtra, ② Lotus sūtra related devotional practices, and ③ faith in the mountain’s founder, En no Gyōja. During the mid-Kamakura period, when large-scale renovations were undertaken with substantial imperial support, it is presumed that a new set of origin stories and historiographical strategies were created to justify the significant public funding. These new origin stories and historical visions were recorded in the Kongōsan Kanjinchō (Mount Kongō fundraising ledger) and the Kongōsan engi (Origin story of Mount Kongō). Specifically, in addition to the previous narratives about this mountain, the following elements were newly recorded: ④ Mount Kongō identification with the Inner and Outer Courts of Tuṣita Heaven, ⑤ the descent of various deities from Ise, Kasuga, Hachiman, and Kumano in response to En no Gyōja’s invocation, ⑥ imperial pilgrimages by successive emperors, the performance of ascetic practices by high priests from various sects, and the renovation works they undertook. These narratives greatly influenced the peripheral areas surrounding Mount Kongō and were widely accepted as authentic history. Consequently, Mount Kongō was redefined both as a periphery supplying special power to the center and as a central hub of the Buddhist Law, closely intertwined with the imperial authority of the time.