The Halo of Golden Light: Imperial Authority and Buddhist Ritual in Heian Japan

by Asuka Sango

Book Overview

In this pioneering study of the shifting status of the emperor within court society and the relationship between the state and the Buddhist community during the Heian period (794-1185), Asuka Sango details the complex ways in which the emperor and other elite ruling groups employed Buddhist ritual to legitimate their authority. Although considered a descendant of the sun goddess, Amaterasu, the emperor used Buddhist idiom, particularly the ideal...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824839862
• ISBN13: 9780824839864
• Release Date: March 2015
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"