View source for Shotoku Taishi

[[File:Prince-shotoku.jpg|right|thumb|320px|A 14th century sculpture of Prince Shôtoku, on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, along with a ''[[hyakumanto darani|hyakumantô darani]].'']]
::''Not to be confused with [[Empress Shotoku|Empress Shôtoku]].''
*''Born: [[574]]''
*''Died: [[622]]''
*''Japanese'': 聖徳太子 ''(Shoutoku taishi)''

Shôtoku Taishi, or Prince Shôtoku, was an imperial prince and regent for [[Empress Suiko]] known for his prominent role in promoting [[Buddhism]] in Japan.

The prince became regent in [[593]], when Empress Suiko acceded to the throne. In [[604]], he drafted the [[Seventeen-Article Constitution]], a foundational document of basic principles of government for the [[Yamato state]].

Shôtoku is considered the founder of such central Buddhist temples as [[Horyu-ji|Hôryû-ji]], [[Joborendai-ji|Jôbonrendai-ji]], and the [[Rokkakudo|Rokkakudô]]. His commentaries on the [[Lotus Sutra]] completed in [[615]] and known as the ''[[Hokke Gisho]]'', are considered the oldest extant Japanese text.

Prince Shôtoku also played a prominent role in dispatching [[Kenzuishi|official missions]] to [[Sui Dynasty]] China, the first such missions to ever be sent by a unified Yamato state to the Chinese court. The first of these missions in [[607]]-[[608]] carried a message to the Sui court which is often cited as the earliest extant/known instance of the use of the phrase "Land of the Rising Sun" to refer to Japan.<ref>Albeit ''Hi izuru tokoro'' 日出づる処, and not ''Nihon'' or ''Nippon'' 日本; The term "Nihon" may have first appeared in [[702]]. Gallery labels. [http://kentoushi.exh.jp/ Imperial Envoys to Tang China : Early Japanese Encounters with Continental Culture] Exhibition. Nara National Museum. April through June 2010.</ref>

He later came to be worshiped as a Buddhist figure. Paintings and sculptures depicting Shôtoku as a child, as well as at other stages of life, became popular and treasured religious objects, and a variety of legends about his life developed. The Shôryô-in at Hôryû-ji, a [[National Treasure]], is dedicated to his worship; Hôryû-ji also houses a [[Shaka]] Triad set of sculptures produced by [[Kuratsukuri no Tori]] in [[623]] to commemorate Shôtoku's death.

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==References==
*Gallery labels, "Prince Shôtoku Taishi as a Child Praying to the Buddha," Santa Barbara Museum of Art.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/18149668791/in/photostream/]
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[[Category:Asuka Period]]
[[Category:Religious Figures]]
[[Category:Imperial Family]]