Thesis by Abigail I . MacBain
Precepts and Performances: Overseas Monks and the Emergence of Cosmopolitan Japan (dissertation), 2021
In 733, Japan’s ninth diplomatic mission to Tang China conveyed two Japanese Buddhist monks commi... more In 733, Japan’s ninth diplomatic mission to Tang China conveyed two Japanese Buddhist monks committed to finding a Chinese master of Buddhist precepts. The prevailing explanation for the precepts master solicitation states that Japan lacked sufficient numbers of fully ordained monks to conduct ordinations using vinaya codes of conduct. While this campaign successfully resulted in precept masters going to Japan in 736 and again in 754, there were no notable changes to monastic ordinations until after the final monk arrived. It is commonly presumed that only the latter precepts master possessed sufficient charisma, training, and followers necessary to establish a vinaya tradition. However, this explanation presumes that the later reforms matched the original expedition’s intent. Moreover, this position ignores the other monks’ activities in Japan’s political, cultural, and religious affairs between 736 754. It is also not supported by period texts.
In this work, I utilize textual and physical evidence to demonstrate that these overseas monks’ activities and significance were largely unrelated to monastic precepts and ordinations. Instead, they rose to prominence due to their knowledge of Buddhist texts and rituals, familiarity with neighboring countries’ Buddhist legitimation and protection systems, fluency in overseas forms of cultural capital, and embodied otherness. Their influence can be seen in their involvement in the Ministry for Monastic Affairs, promulgation of the Avataṃsaka Sutra, and the creation and worship of the Great Buddha of Nara.
Through highlighting these understudied and highly diverse monks, I demonstrate that Japan’s overseas population was intrinsically involved with the country’s transformation into a transregionally-connected, Buddhist country. Moreover, I argue that the overseas monks affiliated with Daianji Temple (大安寺) provided the Japanese court with direct ties to foreign countries that not only expanded Japanese international awareness, but also helped establish the country’s understanding of its position within a broader Buddhist world.
Conference Presentations by Abigail I . MacBain
Geographies of Exchange between India and Japan, 2024
This paper expands upon talk of the same name given at the February 2023 KIZUNA India-Japan Study... more This paper expands upon talk of the same name given at the February 2023 KIZUNA India-Japan Study Forum hybrid conference, Discovering India-Japan Civilizational Ties and Southeast Asia Connectivities. For published paper, see MacBain, Abigail. “South Indian Faces & Traces in Eighth Century Japan: The Life & Legacy of Bodhisena.” In Geographies of Exchange between India and Japan, edited by Sushila Narsimhan & Parul Bakshi,123-144. New Delhi: Manak Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2024.
Papers by Abigail I . MacBain
Journal of Religion in Japan, 2026
Prince Shōtoku veneration in medieval art, literature, and religious practice has been well-exami... more Prince Shōtoku veneration in medieval art, literature, and religious practice has been well-examined in English academic literature; however, the role of music and dance in his devotional cult has received little to no attention. While missing in his earliest biographies, from the tenth century onward, Prince Shōtoku was inserted into histories and narratives of specific performances transmitted from the Asian mainland, and foreign musical entertainment became the centerpiece at his annual death memorial. Through examining the narratives of three categories of music and dance in written and painted biographies, musical encyclopedias, and the performances themselves, this article demonstrates how crucial musical performance was in the worship and spread of the Prince Shōtoku cult, especially during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Moreover, these narratives relied upon his authority and legacy to localize and legitimate foreign music in Buddhist settings and authenticate instruments said to have been used or made by him.
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Thesis by Abigail I . MacBain
In this work, I utilize textual and physical evidence to demonstrate that these overseas monks’ activities and significance were largely unrelated to monastic precepts and ordinations. Instead, they rose to prominence due to their knowledge of Buddhist texts and rituals, familiarity with neighboring countries’ Buddhist legitimation and protection systems, fluency in overseas forms of cultural capital, and embodied otherness. Their influence can be seen in their involvement in the Ministry for Monastic Affairs, promulgation of the Avataṃsaka Sutra, and the creation and worship of the Great Buddha of Nara.
Through highlighting these understudied and highly diverse monks, I demonstrate that Japan’s overseas population was intrinsically involved with the country’s transformation into a transregionally-connected, Buddhist country. Moreover, I argue that the overseas monks affiliated with Daianji Temple (大安寺) provided the Japanese court with direct ties to foreign countries that not only expanded Japanese international awareness, but also helped establish the country’s understanding of its position within a broader Buddhist world.
Conference Presentations by Abigail I . MacBain
Papers by Abigail I . MacBain