900 sarah fremerman aptilon
love and fertility that appear in the Chinese sūtras may later have come
to be attributed to Nyoirin in Japan (see Fremerman 2008, 62–64).
Shōbō’s vision of Seiryō Gongen was dramatically recapitulated
some two hundred years later when the goddess appeared again on the
mountain in 1088, this time taking possession of the monk Shōkaku
(1058–1129), then abbot of Daigoji.^19 Shōkaku was the son of
Minamoto no Toshifusa (1035–1121), Minister of the Left,
and a direct descendant of the sovereign Daigo (885–930;
r. 897–930), who was a patron of the temple and had sponsored the
construction of several new halls. Shōkaku himself is known for hav-
ing built the Sanbōin of Daigoji in 1115 at the behest of the
sovereign Toba (1103–1156, r. 1107–1123), which became an
imperial temple ( Jpn. monzeki ) and later the headquarters of
the Tōzan branch of Shugendō.
In this encounter, Seiryō appears to Shōkaku in the form of a
beautiful woman holding a jewel, resembling the goddess Kichijōten
(Nakajima 1932, 40–41),^20 and then takes possession of him and deliv-
ers a revelation in which she affirms the need for the Minamoto clan
to be loyal to the temple that Daigo has established for them. She then
asks that a shrine be built for her there (Daigoji bunkazai kenkyūjo,
ed. 1991, 1: 94–97).^21 The following year, Shōkaku is said to have con-
structed a shrine dedicated to Seiryō Gongen, installed her as the tute-
lary deity of Daigoji, and placed small statues of Nyoirin and Juntei
within the shrine as the shintai , or objects of worship in which
the kami takes up residence (see Akamatsu 1951, 9–12).^22
Shōbō’s influence is also evident in the long tradition of Nyoirin
worship at Ishiyamadera , built on a hill overlooking Lake Biwa
. Like Daigoji, Ishiyamadera became known during the Heian
period as a pilgrimage site frequented by sovereigns and aristocrats
who prayed there for children and other benefits.^23 Founded in the
(^19) On this incident, see Nakajima 1932, 40–41 and Daigoji bunkazai kenkyūjo, ed.
1991, 1: 88–97. 20
Kichijōten is an Indian deity, the wife of the god Visṇ̣u, who later became a god-
dess of luck and beauty in Japan; she holds a wish-fulfilling jewel and wears a wheel of
dharma in her tiara, both attributes that may have linked her to Nyoirin.
(^21) For a discussion of this episode see Akamatsu 1951, 3–12.
(^22) For a more recent art historical study of this statue, see Tsuda Tetsuei 2001,
16–32. 23
Located in what was then the province of Ōmi , now Shiga prefecture,
east of Kyōto.