Chūjō-hime

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Chūjō-hime
Yoshitoshi-Chujo-hime.jpg
Chūjō-hime and the spirit of her wicked stepmother, represented as a snake. The lotuses are a reference to the Lotus Thread embroidery she wove. Woodblock print by Yoshitoshi
Folk tale
NameChūjō-hime
Also known asChūjōhime
Data
CountryJapan
Origin Date8th Century
RelatedCinderella

Chūjō-hime (中将姫, Chūjō-hime, Middle Captain Princess) (also written Chūjō Hime or Hase-Hime) (c. 753?–781?) was by most accounts a daughter of the court noble Fujiwara no Toyonari who escaped persecution at the hands of her stepmother by becoming a nun at the Taima-dera in Nara. There she took on the name Zenshin-ni or the Dharma name Honyo (法如). She has become a folk heroine, the subject of numerous Japanese folktales which celebrate her filial piety. She is sometimes called the Japanese Cinderella.

Folklore[]

She is said to be the daughter of an imperial minister of the Fujiwara clan and a royal princess. Different stories disagree on her date of birth: most place it in the 8th century, during Emperor Shōmu's reign, and suggest she was the daughter of Fujiwara no Toyonari; however, a few state she was the daughter of , a century earlier.[1][2] It is said that the childless couple had appealed to Kannon and been granted a daughter in exchange for the life of one parent. When Chūjō-hime is three, therefore, her mother dies; her father subsequently remarries.

In some versions of the story, her stepmother then orders her taken into the mountains and abandoned to die. In others, she remains at home and makes copies of the Buddhist sutras for her mother's salvation, and this devotion earns the enmity of her stepmother. In either case, she is rescued by the Buddhist nuns of Taima-dera and becomes a nun herself. As a nun, she lives an austere and meditative life, and comes to be known as a "living Buddha."[1] She is credited with inventing the art of embroidery during this time.

Chūjō-hime is credited with weaving the Lotus Thread, Taima Mandala, a mandala depicting the cosmography of the Pure Land. It is said that she managed this miracle in a single night. Some versions of the story say that she was aided in the task by an apparition of Amida Butsu in response to her prayers.[1][3] Other beliefs hold that she was herself an incarnation of Kannon.[2]

Evolution of Chūjō-hime's legend[]

The earliest mention of Chūjō-hime and her association with the origin of the Taima Mandala dates back to the thirteenth century in the form of a handscroll painting titled Taima Mandara engi emaki. In the text accompanying the handscroll, she is referred to as “Yokohagi’s no Otodo’s daughter.”[4] She is then mentioned by name in the pictorial and calligraphic work Ippen Hijiri-e, dated 1299. This text also identifies Chūjō-hime as “an incarnation of a Buddhist deity.”[4] Both of these texts depict Chūjō-hime’s legend in a more traditional form, focusing primarily on her days as a nun in Taima-dera and her deity status. Later depictions would elaborate on her life before she became a nun.

During the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, new themes were added to Chūjō-hime’s story, particularly regarding her life before becoming a nun.[4] This new retelling of the legend took the shape of Nō plays.

One such play was Hibariyama (Skylark Mountain, writer unknown). The first act tells how Chūjō-hime’s father, Minister Toyonari, ordered one of his retainers to kill his daughter, after having believed a lie about her. The retainer then takes Chūjō-hime to Mount Hibari with the intention of killing her, but, unable to do so, he instead builds a shelter for her and her nurse.

In the second act, some time has passed and Chūjō-hime’s father has realized that the rumors of his daughter were untrue and has come to regret his actions. He then encounters Chūjō-hime’s and, upon learning that she is alive and well, they reunite, and he takes Chūjō-hime back home. Hibariyama does not make any mention of Chūjō-hime’s time as a nun.

Another Nō play that develops Chūjō-hime’s legend is Taema, attributed to the playwright Zeami. In this retelling, Chūjō-hime is abandoned in Mount Hibari by her wicked stepmother. Despite the harsh conditions of the mountains, she survives, and this is attributed to her being the reincarnation of a Buddha. She is later found by her father Lord Toyonari, who takes her back home. Chūjō-hime, however, uninterested in worldly affairs, leaves the capital and becomes a nun at Taima-dera.

In popular culture[]

There is a 1911 short silent film, starring Matsunosuke Onoe, based upon Chūjō-hime's legend.

She is cast as the main female character in the 1939 novel Shisha no sho by Shinobu Orikuchi.

The herbal medicine Chūjōtō used to treat various "female complaints" such as menstrual pains is named after her.[4]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 129–130
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Chujo-hime and the Spirit of her Wicked Stepmother". Sinister Designs: Yoshitoshi Tsukioka. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  3. ^ Glassman, Hank. "Chujo-hime, Convents, and Women's Salvation". Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Grotenhuis, Elizabeth Ten (1992). "Chūjōhime: The Weaving of Her Legend". Flowing Traces: Buddhism in the Literary and Visual Arts of Japan. Princeton University Press. pp. 180–200. ISBN 978-0-691-63267-4.

References[]

  • Ashkenazy, Michael (2003). Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio.
  • "Chūjō-hime." (1985). Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
  • Papinot, Edmond (1910). Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha.

External links[]

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