Japanese Monk Enchin's Catalog of Dharma Sought in Tang China (日本比丘圓珍入唐求法目錄)

About 日本比丘圓珍入唐求法目錄

Japan · by 圓珍撰

4,052 · about 14 min

The Catalogue of Buddhist Scriptures Compiled by the Japanese Monk Enchin during His Pilgrimage to Tang China from the Seventh Year of the Dazhong Era to the Sixth Year of the Xiantong Era. Enchin, the fifth head of the Japanese Tendai school and a disciple of Saichō, systematically recorded the Buddhist sūtras, vinaya, śāstras, and esoteric texts he collected in Chang’an, Yuezhou, and other regions. The catalogue includes newly translated scriptures, Sanskrit manuscripts, commentaries, and more, totaling over a hundred works. It stands not only as a vital document of Sino-Japanese Buddhist exchange but also reflects the flourishing spread of Buddhism, particularly esoteric traditions, during the Tang dynasty. This catalogue profoundly influenced the development of Tendai esoteric Buddhism in Japan and remains a key historical source for the study of Tang Buddhism and Sino-Japanese cultural interactions.