The Robe of Leaves is an early modern text written by Gyochi (1778-1841), a priest and head scholar of the Tozan Shugendo organization. It presents the erudite face of a tradition that is usually associated with folklore and practice, rather than...
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The Robe of Leaves is an early modern text written by Gyochi (1778-1841), a priest and head scholar of the Tozan Shugendo organization. It presents the erudite face of a tradition that is usually associated with folklore and practice, rather than scholasticism. Along with a rise in government control and sectarianism, Shugendo in the Edo period witnessed significant textual production as doctrine and practice were interpreted and recorded. In his work, Gyochi portrays Shugendo as sitting squarely within the confines of Japanese Buddhism as well as connected to the history of continental Buddhism. A competent Sanskritist, equally at ease with native and continental Asian sources, he quotes collections of imperial poetry and sources from continental Buddhism, connecting to the roots of Buddhism in India and China, as well as early Buddhist ascetic practice in Japan. Gyochi also devotes considerable space to eulogizing En no Gyoja, the founder of his tradition, and defending him from charges of heterodoxy. The Robe of Leaves is considered an important record of early modern Shugendo and offers us a glimpse into the concerns of a tradition that was persecuted a few decades after the text was written.
