明代萬暦年間における普陀山の復興--中國巡禮史研究序説

Abstract

During the Wanli era (1573-1620), pilgrimage to Putuoshan, the sacred island of Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy 觀音), revived after a period of decline. By employing books about coastal defense, in addition to the various Putuoshan gazetteers and records of literati travel that previous scholars have used, we can obtain a more complete understanding of the Putuoshan revival and the political circumstances surrounding it. After the jiaqing-era 嘉靖 attacks of "japanese pirates" 倭寇, local administrators strictly prohibited the pilgrimage to Putuoshan to prevent it from becoming a haven for pirates. Despite the vigorous opposition of the Zhejiang provincial commissioner 浙江巡撫 and other local officials, many pious lay people and monks secretly continued visiting this sacred site and building small temples there. Moreover, the empress dowager and eunuchs made generous donations to this site. Where other scholars have attributed the growth in Putuoshan pilgrimage to lay activity and economic development, I argue that the imperial household's political influence was the decisive factor. The period at revival reached its climax in the early seventeenth century, Putuoshan gradually again became one of China's greatest sacred sites. By the revival's end, despite instability in the area, people were openly heading for Putuoshan from coastal ports in jiangnan (Southeast China) -such as Ningpo, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.