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, also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half-sister. His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan〔http://www.khyentsefoundation.org/patronkingsVIII.html〕 and he was involved in the defeat of the rival Mononobe clan. The primary source of the life and accomplishments of Prince Shōtoku comes from the ''Nihon Shoki''. Over successive generations, a devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for the protection of Japan, the Imperial Family, and for Buddhism. Key religious figures such as Saichō, Shinran and others claimed inspiration or visions attributed to Prince Shōtoku.〔 ==Cultural and political role== Shōtoku was appointed as regent (''Sesshō'') in 593 by Empress Suiko, his aunt. Shōtoku, inspired by Buddha's teachings, succeeded in establishing a centralized government during his reign. In 603, he established the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System at the court. He is credited with promulgating a Seventeen-article constitution. The Prince was an ardent Buddhist and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the ''Sangyō Gisho'' or "Annotated Commentaries on the Three Sutras" (the ''Lotus Sutra'', the ''Vimalakirti Sutra'', and the ''Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra''). The first of these commentaries, ''Hokke Gisho'', is traditionally dated to 615 and thus regarded as "the first Japanese text", in turn making Shōtoku the first Japanese writer. A legend claims that when Bodhidharma came to Japan, he met with Prince Shōtoku whilst under the guise of a starving beggar. The Prince asked the beggar to identify himself, but the man did not reply. Instead of going ahead, Shōtoku gave him food, drink, and covered him with his purple garment, telling him to "lie in peace". The Prince then sang for the starving man. ''Alas! For'' ''The wayfarer lying'' ''And hungered for rice'' ''On the hill of Kataoka'' (The sunshiny) ''Art thou become'' ''Parentless?'' ''Hast thou no lord'' ''Flourishing as a bamboo?'' ''Alas! For'' ''The wayfarer lying'' ''And hungered for rice!'' The second day, the Prince sent a messenger to the starving man, but he was already dead. Hereupon, Shōtoku was greatly grieved and ordered his burial. Shōtoku later thought the man was no ordinary man for sure, and sending another messenger, discovered the earth had not been disturbed. On opening the tomb there was no body inside, and the Prince's purple garment lay folded on the coffin. The Prince then sent another messenger to claim the garment, and he continued to wear it just as before. Struck by awe, the people praised the Prince "How true it is that a sage knoweth a sage." This legend is linked with the temple of Daruma-dera in Ōji, Nara, where a stone stupa was found underground, which is exceedingly rare. Prince Shōtoku commissioned the Shitennō-ji (temple) in Settsu Province (present-day Osaka) after his military victory against the powerful Mononobe clan, for he is said to have summoned them to crush his enemies. Shōtoku's name has been linked with Hōryū-ji, a temple in Yamato Province, and numerous other temples in the Kansai region. Documentation at Hōryū-ji claims that Suiko and Shōtoku founded the temple in the year 607. Archaeological excavations in 1939 have confirmed that Prince Shōtoku's palace, the ''Ikaruga no miya'' (斑鳩宮), stood in the eastern part of the current temple complex, where the ''Tō-in'' (東院) sits today. Despite being credited as the founder of Japanese Buddhism, it is also said that the Prince respected Shinto and never visited Buddhist temples without visiting Shinto shrines.〔Shoichi Watanabe (Professor Emeritus at Sophia University) (2014), 教育提言：私が伝えたい天皇・皇室のこと(opinion concerning education: What I must hand down regarding the Emperor and the Imperial Family of Japan ). In ''Seiron'', 508, 204-211.〕 In his correspondence with Emperor Yang of Sui, the Prince's letter contains the earliest written instance in which the Japanese archipelago is named ''Nihon''. The Sui Emperor dispatched a message in 605 that said, "the sovereign of Sui respectfully inquires about the sovereign of Wa."〔Varley, Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' p. 128.〕 Shōtoku responded by sponsoring a mission led by Ono no Imoko in 607: "From the sovereign of the land of the rising sun (''nihon/hi izuru'') to the sovereign of the land of the setting sun."〔Varley, Paul. (1973). ''Japanese Culture: A Short History.'' p. 15〕 He is said to have been buried at Shinaga in Kawachi Province (modern Osaka Prefecture).〔Guth, Christine. "The Divine Boy in Japanese Art." ''Monumenta Nipponica'' 42:1 (1987). p12.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Prince Shōtoku」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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