Textual sources for provincial Buddhism in 7th–8th c. Japan are hard to come by. Key exceptions are 2 of the 3 Kōzuke steles 上野三碑. These important inscribed stones are hardly known in English scholarship, but speak to the spread of Buddhism outside of the capital. 1/7
A great multi-lingual web site by Takasaki City on these steles, which date between 681–726, includes descriptions, 3D images, and videos. Take a look. Lots of the materials could be used for teaching about Buddhism in early Japan. 2/7 city.takasaki.gunma.jp/info/sanpi/en/…
The Yamanoue Stele describes a monk Chōri from the local temple Hōkōji erecting the stele for his mother, Kurometoji, a prominent figure in the region. Buddhism's powers in memorial ritual for parents and ancestors attracted patrons in and outside of the provinces. 3/7
It's also linguistically interesting, because it is written in an order that follows Japanese syntax. For example, rather than writing on "behalf of my mother" as 為母, it renders it 母為, obeying the Japanese word order rather than standard Classical Chinese. 4/7
The Kanaizawa stele is also tied to memorial ritual, but it's sponsored by a Buddhist fellowship. These pious groups sponsored a range of projects in Japan and were perhaps the central social unit for Buddhist patronage. You can learn more in my book. 5/7 uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/ritualiz…
This video, which provides an overview of the steles, leans into the ethnic diversity of the region, highlighting the activities of Korean immigrant groups. It also points out that the shape of the Yamanoue stele follows those found in Silla. 6/7
My new project, generously supported this year by the Ho Foundation and @ACLS1919, is on how Buddhism spread to the provinces. To tell this story requires turning outside of our standard texts and looking at stone, clay, and the backsides of manuscripts. More to come. 7/7
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