Prince Shengde was the most famous politician and thinker in Japanese history. In the twelfth year of Emperor Tuigu (604 AD), according to the Nihon Shoki, "In the fourth month of Xia, the crown prince (Prince Shengde) personally wrote the Seventeen Articles of the Constitution", and the first sentence of its first article said that "peace is precious". This article can be described as Japan's abandonment of the Analects. In the third year of Emperor Minda (574 AD), Prince Shengde was born as the second son of Emperor Mingming, and his virgin was the Empress Dowager. Although he failed to become the next emperor, he held the supreme power in Japan, and in order to adapt to the new situation of domestic and foreign turmoil, he underwent a series of reforms, and was revered as the Buddhist emperor, holy king, and great man of Japan.
Even today, his portrait is printed on 50,000 yen and 10,000 yen banknotes, and it still occupies an important position in the minds of the Japanese people, and there are many strange legends about the birth of Prince Shengde. It is said that his mother became pregnant because a small golden monk jumped into the middle of the population, and when she walked next to the stable, she suddenly gave birth to Prince Shengde, so Prince Shengde was named Prince Ofe. Interestingly, the legend that Prince Deus was born in the stables is very similar to the Western legend that Jesus was born in the stables. When Prince Shengde was born, he was perfumed and the courtyard shone with light.
Two. Play out the teacher-student relationship
1. The beginning of the courtroom
In 607, the Japanese envoy Ono Meizi sent an envoy to the Sui Dynasty to present the letter of state of the Japanese regent Prince Shengde to the Sui Emperor. When the Sui Dynasty monarchs were surprised to see the beginning of the national letter, it turned out to be "the son of heaven at sunrise to the book day is not where the heavenly son is unharmed." This is going to turn the sky upside down! Previously, Japan sent envoys to China, mostly to grant the legitimacy of the regime, so the words of the state letter were very respectful. This time, unlike before, Prince Shengde actually changed the previous wind in the national letter, without mentioning the "subordinate country" Yunyun, and clearly proposed to sit on an equal footing with China. Seeing such a national letter, all the monarchs and subjects in the DPRK were annoyed in their hearts, but the Son of Heaven did not exert his power, so he had to be silently patient, and he always had to get by on the face, after all, we were a big country with dignity.
It is not ono who wants to compete with China, but the wishful thinking of Emperor Tuigu, japan's earliest female emperor.
Emperor Tuiko was the last monarch of the first line of japanese emperors. There are relevant records in the Chinese Book of Sui, and the title of "Emperor" appears for the first time. She was born in 554 (the eleventh year of Emperor Chinmei) and died on April 15, 628 (the thirty-sixth year of Emperor Tuigu). During the 36-year reign of the empress dowager from 593 AD, she tried her best to consolidate her imperial power and limit the power of other nobles, and carried out a series of reforms in Japan, which were particularly prominent in government and are still widely praised by Japanese society.
2. The official version of "Huawei Division"
There were four main achievements of Emperor Tuigu: first, strengthening support for Buddhism, which led to the beginning of a great development of Buddhism in the Japanese archipelago; second, the creation of a new official system - the twelve orders of official positions (Dade, Xiaode, Da ren, Xiao Ren, Da Li, Xiao Li, Da Li, Da Xin, Dayi, Xiao Yi, Da Zhi, Xiao Zhi, Xiao Zhi zhi); third, the enthusiasm for continuous learning and exchange with China, trying to be on an equal footing with China in diplomatic relations; fourth, with the support of Emperor Tuiko, Prince Shengde followed the Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism, and Xiao Zhizhi' twelve orders; third, he continued to study and communicate with China in an attempt to be on an equal footing with China in diplomatic relations; fourth, with the support of Emperor Tuiko, Prince Shengde followed the Chinese Confucian, Buddhist, and Xiao zhizhi ranks; third, with the support of Emperor Tuiko, Heontoku, in accordance with Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism, and Xiao Zhi. The Seventeen-Article Constitution was formulated by the Dzogchen ideology, which became the earliest moral standard for governing the country in Japan.
Sui's actions to make Ono girl actually not as funny as her name. His diplomatic work in the Sui Dynasty was still fruitful. In 609, when he went on his second mission, he brought a group of international students and international students to Study in China, which opened a wave of large-scale Japanese study in China. Under his efforts, the Sui Dynasty sent Pei Shiqing as an envoy to visit Japan.
Three. The background of the reform of prince Shengde
1. Prince Shengde implements new reforms
For a long time, the civilization of the Chinese mainland continued to spread to Japan through the Korean Peninsula, and after the unification of China in the south in 589, it had a huge impact on Japan. In addition to the introduction of Chinese production technology to Japan with immigration, the superstructure of the feudal state and the political and economic system were also introduced to Japan. For example, the Confucian idea of "heaven without two masters", the pursuit of happiness in the afterlife, and the Buddhist idea of forbearance and obedience were also introduced to Japan by immigrants, and after Japan unified the country from the Yamato court in the fourth and fifth centuries, the power of the clan aristocrats that evolved from the original clan nobility was still very strong. Several nobles with the surname Daimyo controlled the real power of the Yamato court, such as the Monobe clan and the Daiban clan managing military affairs, the Nakato clan presiding over the sacrifices, and the Su I clan in charge of finances. There are sharp contradictions and struggles between the nobles of the big clans, between the royal family and the nobles, for more land and tribesmen.
2. The contradictions and struggles are fierce
With the continuous import and influence of China's advanced culture, the contradiction between the Japanese royal family and the nobility arose on how to deal with the political system and cultural and religious issues from the mainland. The royal family formed an alliance with the innovative forces represented by the Su I clan, advocating the acceptance of the political system and cultural religion of the mainland; The conservative nobles, represented by the Monobe clan and the Daisuke clan, opposed acceptance, especially the introduction of Buddhism, which led to a fierce struggle to worship buddhism and exclude Buddhism. The royal family and the Su I clan tried to use Buddhism to ideologically strengthen and consolidate the central state power and consolidate their rule; The Monobe clan and the Daisuke clan, on the other hand, resolutely rejected Buddhism and adhered to the old Japanese religion, which later became the so-called "Shinto". "Shinto" developed from the worship of natural phenomena, also honored ancestors, and also maintained the old system of royalty and nobles living on an equal footing. Therefore, this struggle reflects the contradiction between the old state system of unity of large and small aristocrats and the system of imperial supremacy.
In 587, emperor Ming died, so the struggle for royal power intensified, and the war between Su I Mazi and Monobu Shouya broke out. The Crown Prince of Theobe clan, who was trying to support him, was requisitioned, and the Su I clan defeated and killed the Monobe Moriya. Prince Shengde was 14 years old at the time, and as a prince, he joined the team of Su I Mazi and gave great support to Mazi. Su I Mazi succeeded his father Su I Inamu as the highest official of the imperial court for nearly half a century in 572, until 625, during which time he seized power in the imperial court and became a pivotal figure in the four generations of emperors, namely Minda, Yongming, Chongjun, and Tuigu.
Four. Follow the example of great men
1. Take refuge in Buddhism
Prince Shengde actively pursued a set of national policies based on strong Buddhist ideals.
During his nearly thirty years as regent, Prince Shengde presided over the formulation of rules and legal systems such as the Twelve Orders of the Crown and the Seventeen Constitutions, and sent diplomatic envoys to establish friendly relations with the Sui Dynasty.
In Japan's first written statute, the Seventeen-Article Constitution, which Prince Shengde personally presided over, confucianism, Buddhism, and Dharma thought were integrated, calling Buddhism "the end of four lives and the ultimate sect of all nations." Its second article stipulates that "reverence for the Three Jewels" requires lay believers who must take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the teachings of the Dharma, and take the Five Precepts. Article 10 also states: "All men are ordinary people", and the consciousness of ordinary people stems from the idea of refuge in the Dharma and the equality of human beings.
The ideological concepts that run through and embody the Seventeen-Article Constitution mark the transition of Japanese Buddhism from the "prayer spell" stage of pursuing "practical interests" in the early days of the Eastern Gradual Development to the stage of ideological and catechetical research and application. The Buddhist concept, as the basis of the ideal of "valuing peace" and the ruling ideal of one king and all people, entered the Yamato Dynasty with dignity.
The first article of the Seventeen-Article Constitution, "Peace is precious," is the product of the integration and development of foreign cultures and the inherent culture of the Yamato nation, and it embodies the fundamental concept of prince Shengde's political state. The Buddhist spirit contained in "Valuing Harmony" transcends time and space, race, and region, and has become the fundamental concept for ending the history of mutual exclusion and killing between foreign nations, and realizing the unity of the Yamato nation and even the development of the Yamato Dynasty. The immortal deeds of Prince Shengde shine in the long river of Japanese historical development, and they are eternal and eternal.
2. Shakyamuni of Japan
Prince Shengde has been a firm believer in Buddhism since he was a child, and he often copied the sutras himself and promoted the Dharma by himself. Copying Scripture word by word requires great perseverance. At that time, Prince Shengde copied the scriptures out of the good wish of respecting the Three Jewels and promoting the Dharma, but I think it is also possible for Prince Shengde to exercise the ability to restrain and regulate his spiritual strength by copying the scriptures.
Speaking of copying the scriptures, I insert a few gossip here, the "Tibetan Blue Gold Clay Sutra" copied on dark blue paper with gold clay, or the "Purple Paper Golden Character Classic" copied on purple paper with gold characters, the raw materials used are very expensive, when copying the scriptures, if there is a slight negligence, even if only one word is copied wrong, it will cause a lot of economic losses. Pick it up from "If I Smell" and keep the same pen posture all the time. From ancient times to the present, the perseverance and meticulous spirit of the scribes are admirable. The devout faith and good wishes embodied in the act of copying the Scriptures are worthy of respect.
Copying sutras is an effective means of approaching the Dharma, both to cultivate devout religious feelings and to hone strong perseverance. At that time, Prince Shengde may have cultivated indomitable spiritual strength through copying the scriptures.
Five. The significance of the reform of the Prince of Saint Virtue
The reform of Prince Shengde suppressed the power of the nobles with the surname to a certain extent, laid the imprint of imperial power ideology among the nobles, laid the ideological foundation for the later establishment of the centralized system, and cultivated talents by sending students to China and granting titles to small and medium-sized nobles. But the reform of the Prince of Shengde was extremely incomplete. The official system was established on the basis of the abolition of the surname system, and was only practiced among the middle and lower-ranking nobles in and around Ki Nei. The 17-article constitution, as an admonition, can only play an indoctrination role and has no greater binding force. More importantly, the tribal system did not touch the crux of the society at that time, so weakening the power of the clan and the nobility and improving the imperial power was extremely limited, and it was even more impossible to solve the class contradictions in the country and save the social crisis.
All in all, Prince Shengde, with his tenacious will and powerful means of rule, created extremely brilliant achievements, and he also improved the international status of Japan at that time and established friendly relations with the Sui Dynasty. The dispatch of international students has also cultivated a number of outstanding talents for the country, and the most important impact is that it laid the foundation for the subsequent Dahua reform, provided experience and experience, and played a very far-reaching role in promoting the process of Japanese history.