<Article>A Consideration of Promotion to the Abbacy of the Myōshin-ji Branch of the Rinzai Zen School during the Sengoku Period

In this paper, I consider the significance and role played by promotion to the abbacy of Rinzai-sect temples such as Myōshinji. Myōshinji temple was a religious force that expanded its power by increasing the number of affiliated local temples during the Sengoku period. Promotion to the abbacy of Myōshinji can be understood as a key consideration of how Myōshinji, which was expanding its power, was organized. I analyzed and considered the information in documents in local temples that show the process of promotion to the abbacy. I examined the classification of these documents, the timing of their appearance, and the functions they performed and concluded that they were related to the progress of the Myōshinji school's advance into local areas. The documents can be classified into two types: those proving receipt of the money paid to receive the office and those made following the appointment to the abbacy. I also predicted that these documents would appear in the late 16th century. Furthermore, I argued that although many of these documents can be evaluated as receipts, they served as a letter of appointment in terms of their usage. In addition, I think these documents made an appearance in conjunction with increasing number of Myōshinji affiliated temples in the countryside. In order for a Zen monk to be promoted as Myōshinji abbot, support from samurai, including financial assistance, was important. The monk needed a large sum of money to get promoted, so he relied on the samurai's help. The samurai occasionally supported the Zen monks because they wanted to be seen as rulers who protected virtuous Zen monks. This was not only an economic display, but also a political one. In addition, a network of Zen monks might also play a major role in a Zen monk's promotion. Various Zen monks were connected personally and economically, leading to increased solidarity among them. This connection attracted the attention of Sengoku daimyo and led to the use of these networks of Zen monks for negotiations between daimyo. I also considered cases in which Zen monks became abbots of large local temples. Appointment to the abbacy of a large local temple was similar to the process at Myōshinji. However, there was a difference in the fact that large local temples operated independently and asked Zen monks to come directly to the temple. Also, some Zen monks who became abbots sometimes prioritized local conditions over the abbacy. The greatest difference between large local temples and Myōshinji was whether a Zen monk stayed at his home temple. The abbots of Myōshinji affiliated temples were able to obtain a title while staying in their hometowns, so they had the advantage of being able to exert influence on the local area by exhibiting Kyoto's authority in becoming Myōshinji affiliated abbots. However, the abbots of large local temples had less authority than the abbot of Myōshinji, and above all, these Zen monks had to leave their hometown to serve as abbot. This gave Zen monks a reason to be reluctant to become priests of large local temples. While there were some drawbacks like this, in general, the system of promotion spread nationwide and was completed to some extent, contributing to the maintenance and strengthening of the relationship between the head temple and local temples as well as the human and economic foundations that helped form the Myōshinji sect.