Todaiji Temple in Nara Prefecture, which is a popular tourist spot alongside Nikko Toshogu Shrine, is visited by many people every year, from students to the elderly, even though it has the famous Daibutsu-sama.
About 1300 years ago, a magnificent national project started in Nara.
It is [ Construction of the Great Buddha 】is.
743 It took about 10 years from Emperor Shomu's order to make the Great Buddha to 752, the largest national project of this era. was.
Why did Emperor Shomu make a huge Buddha today? I would like to think about.
Emperor Shomu's Great Buddha Construction Project
According to the textbook, Emperor Shomu built the Great Buddha during the Nara period [ because of the increasing social unrest caused by famine, plague, and turmoil . ].
That's right when I write it, but when I unravel the social background of each one, I can see that various things are intermingled.
First, let's explain the flow of the Nara period from 710.
710 years Until then Kyo Fujiwara From Heijokyo Will be relocated to the capital.
Emperor Shomu who started making the Great Buddha Enthronement in 724 To do.
In Japan around this time, rebellions caused by Ezo frequently occurred in Tohoku, 701 . Taiho Code It was also a time when I was searching for the possibility of national management under the decree system since the establishment of.
It will be a little ahead, but Sakanoue Tamura Maro Is Shogun It was also in this era.
Around this time, Fujiwara no Muchimaro, Fusasaki, Uma, Maro was at the center of politics. Brothers die from a pandemic (smallpox) that was rampant at the time. In addition, famine and large earthquakes caused damage. It is said that the desire to eliminate such social unrest and stabilize the country was the background to the creation of the Great Buddha.
Also, the people at that time were Zu Yong Diao I had a very difficult life due to the tax system.
In modern translation,
"There is no fire in the kamado, and the spider's web hangs on the kamado. I forgot to cook rice. Is the road in the world so hard? "
From this sentence, the hardships of ordinary people's lives are conveyed.
Let's review the tax system at that time.
Tax system in the Nara period
- Tax:Pays about 3% of the harvested rice
- 庸:Work 10 days in the city or put 2 lengths and 6 shakus of cloth
- Tone:Pay local specialties
- Miscellaneous:Work up to 60 days a year for chores such as civil engineering work
- Military service:One-third of 21-60 year olds are on soldiers
Among them, the item that the people suffered was military service written in red. Can be given.
The imperial court must gather soldiers who can fight. There is no point in gathering soldiers unless you can fight, so naturally choose a man with physical strength. But what is most needed in agricultural work is the power of young men. When a young man in the prime of work goes to military service, farm work cannot be left.
As a result, some people couldn't pay the tax and abandoned the land and ran away.
Against this background, people's lives were not easy.
Impact of repeated relocations
Since it was a bureaucratic society during the Nara period, the people lived a difficult life, while the aristocrats lived a good life. While the people were in dire straits to pay taxes, the highest-ranking officials distributed the taxes they had collected to form huge wealth.
This composition is the same in modern society, but excessive economic disparity causes social unrest.
If the number of fugitives and vagrant increases, looting and robbery will occur, leading to deteriorating security.
Thus 740 years Emperor Shomu Anger at Human Resources From Fujiwara no Hirotsugu's turbulence in Dazaifu Happens.
It is said that this turbulence is not a coup d'etat to Emperor Shomu, but has a strong protest to personnel affairs. The four Fujiwara brothers died of smallpox, and Emperor Shomu changed his mind and changed the city due to the political unrest of Hirotsugu Fujiwara's rebellion in Dazaifu.
Kunikyo Yamashiro Beginning with → Settsu Kuni Namba Palace → Omi Kuni Shigaraki Palace
And repeated the relocation of the capital.
In parallel with this relocation, we will start concrete efforts to deal with the unrest.
741 Edict of the construction of Kokubunji Kokubunji / Kokubunnanji for each country Is announced to build. In this way, we tried to spread Buddhism prior to the production of the Great Buddha, but the social situation did not improve just by building Kokubunji and relocating the capital.
So Emperor Shomu The conclusion was 743 A big Buddha called Roshana Buddha was built at Todaiji Temple Give a life to do.
The thoughts of Emperor Shomu are
"If all the people can visibly feel that they are being watched over by the Buddha, I think we can live in peace without any social disturbance." It seems that he thought.
* There are various theories
It seems that such a big Buddha had already been made in neighboring China, but Emperor Shomu Seems to have been particular about the world's first golden Buddha. The reason is that he wanted to make the precious light of Buddha reach all over Japan.
Thus, over 10 years 752 Big Buddha Eye Opening Memorial Will be greeted.
However, it is said that the Great Buddha Hall at Todaiji Temple was completed at the time of the memorial service, but the essential Great Buddha was not completed. It was almost 20 years after the eye-opening memorial service that the whole was completed with gold plating.
And Emperor Shomu Is 756 Died of illness.
There are various theories, but it is said that the cause of death is greatly related to the production of the Great Buddha.
It is mercury poisoning is. In the gold plating process of the Great Buddha, gold is dissolved in mercury to make a substance called amalgam, which is applied to the surface of the Great Buddha.
Since mercury evaporates during the construction process, it is easy to become addicted to mercury, and many workers are actually killed. Emperor Shomu himself went to see the process of making the Great Buddha many times. Therefore, it is said that Emperor Shomu may have died from mercury poisoning.
Emperor Shomu decided to create a Great Buddha for the people, but it is sad that the Great Buddha may have killed him. However, even now, more than 1200 years later, the Great Buddha created by Emperor Shomu in the hope of peace is still watching over us.