The Transformation of the Legend of Empress Kōmyō's Bathing of Lepers and the Eizon Cult

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the transformation of the legend of Empress Kōmyō's bathing of the lepers with a focus on the relief activities of the Eizon cult, led by Eizon and Ninshō, which involved physical contact with the lepers. Also, it is argued that the relief activities of the Eizon cult were based on the faith in bodhisattva Manjusri.

According to legend, Empress Kōmyō (701-760), the wife of Emperor Shōmu, bathed and scrubbed the bodies of lepers who lived in poor and unhygienic conditions. The one thousandths leper washed by Kōmyō requested her to remove pus by sucking it with her mouth. When Kōmyō did so, the leper turned into a buddha.

It is argued that changes of this legend were influenced by the Eizon cult. The place of action shifted from Ashukuji temple to Hokkeji. Moreover, the Buddha who tested the empress's compassion changed from Akshobhya Buddha to Manjusri Bodhisattva. The Eizon order adapted the legend in this way because it was responsible for the relief activities of the lepers during that period, turning Hokkeji into a branch temple and spreading the legend of Empress Kōmyō's scrubbing of the lepers.

In ancient and medieval Japan, the concept of purity and impurity had an important social meaning. Lepers were considered to be impure. Therefore, physical contact with lepers was considered to be an impure act. Ninshō and others, however, believed that they were strict in their observance of the precepts, protected from impurity by the precepts, and lepers were manifestations of Buddha to test their mercy. The Eizon cult asserted its own position by promoting the legend of Kōmyō in this way.