The Names of Prince Shōtoku in the Nihon Shoki Are Not Consistent
The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀, Chronicles of Japan) is the earliest historical source in which Prince Shōtoku appears.
However, the text refers to him by several different names:
- 廐戸皇子 (Umayato no Miko)
- 豊聡耳聖徳 (Toyotomimi Shōtoku)
- 豊聡耳法王 (Toyotomimi no Nori no Ōkimi)
- 法主王 (Nori no Nushi no Ōkimi)
- 廐戸豊聡耳皇子 (Umayato no Toyotomimi no Miko)
- 上宮之廐戸豊聡耳太子 (Kamitsumiya no Umayato no Toyotomimi no Miko)
Interestingly, the name “Prince Shōtoku” (聖徳太子, Shōtoku Taishi) does not appear anywhere in this list.
What Do “Shōtoku” (聖徳) and “Kamitsumiya” (上宮) Mean?
Prince Shōtoku is also sometimes referred to as “Kamitsumiya” (上宮). So, what do the names “Shōtoku” and “Kamitsumiya” actually mean?
Shōtoku (聖徳) is a posthumous name (諡号, shigō).
Also called an okurina (諡) in Japanese, a posthumous name is a name given to a distinguished person after death, based on an evaluation of their achievements and character during their lifetime.
Kamitsumiya (上宮) refers to the palace where Prince Shōtoku lived.
What Does the Character “Shō” (聖) Mean?
The character shō / hijiri (聖) in the name Prince Shōtoku can be analyzed as containing the elements 耳 (mimi, “ear”), 口 (kuchi, “mouth”), and 壬 (jin).
Both 耳 (mimi, “ear”) and 壬 (jin) are pictographic characters (象形文字, shōkeimoji) depicting a human figure with prominently emphasized ears.
The earliest meaning of 聖 (shō / hijiri) was “a person who could hear divine revelations or messages from the gods.” Such a person was called a 聖.
There is a famous legend that Prince Shōtoku could listen to ten people speaking at the same time and understand them all.
Perhaps this legend may have something to do with the original meaning of the name Shōtoku (聖徳). ♪
Comments