The Thought of Hell -- Religion and the World Series

Author: (Japanese) Ibaraki Takeshi, translated by Liu Ruizhi and Bian Liqiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This book is divided into two parts, "The Concept of Hell." The first part provides a detailed analysis of the lineage of the concept of hell, which permeates the history of Japanese thought and culture. It discusses the origins of the concept of hell and its historical development from primitive Buddhism to the Chinese Tendai master Zhiyi, and then to Japanese figures such as Genshin, Shandao, Hounen, and Shinran. It explores the intrinsic relationship between hell and paradise, the differences in the concept of hell between the East and the West, and the significant role of the concept of hell in shaping Japanese culture. The second part, "Hell in Literature," examines famous Japanese literary works such as The Tale of Genji, The Tale of the Heike, Noh plays by Zeami, plays by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, poems and fairy tales by Kenji Miyazawa, and novels by Taizō Ishikawa, analyzing the profound influence of Buddhist concepts of hell on Japanese literature.