165 



Emperors to pray in the park for rain or for stopping rain, 

 always belonged to the Shingon sect. 



The Kojidan' relates how in 1016 Bishop Shinkaku ('^'^) 

 prayed for rain in the park and had a splendid success within 

 a few hours, after a very long and heavy drought. The Naidaijin, 

 one of the Ministers, had sent him a message to warn him that 

 he would be derided by the world if he failed, but the bishop 

 answered that it was not for himself, but for the people's sake 

 that he would try. And behold, on the hour of the sheep dark 

 clouds arose, a heavy thunderstorm burst forth and the rain fell 

 down in torrents. 



In the Gempei seisuiki^ we read that in 1179 the "Secret 

 Doctrine of the Rain- prayer- sutra" was practised in vain in the 

 Sacred Spring Park, nor had the prayers of other powerful priests 

 any effect, till at last a secret tune, played on a biwa at the 

 shrine of Sumiyoshi, caused a continuous and heavy rain to fall 

 down. According to the Hyahurensho ^, the same sutra was read 

 in the park in the years 1215 and 1224; and the Genko Shakusho'^ 

 relates the same thing about the year 1082. 



The Zohu hojidan ^ mentions a two-storied gate on the south- 

 side of the park, which was destroyed by the "Dragon of the 

 Sacred Spring", who in Fujiwara no Saneyori's time (899 — 970) 

 entered this gate in the shape of a beautiful man. He sat down, 

 and when he was asked from where he came, he answered that 

 he lived in the West and had passed the gate on his way to 

 another place. Then he disappeared, and at the same time the 

 sky became dark and a terrible thunderstorm arose. Tradition 

 said that the Buddhist bishop Genkwa was just reciting the 

 Rain-prayer-sutra in the park, when the gate was destroyed. 



The Kimpisho " tells us that in case of drought the Court- 

 oflBcials had first of all the task of cleaning the Sacred Spring 

 Park. Then they were ordered by the Emperor to go to the 



1 Ch. Ill, K. T. K. Vol. XV, p. 80. 



2 yIB 2S^ ^^ ^^ gfl , "Record of the rise and fall of the Mlnamoto and Taira 

 Families", written by an unknown author about 1250; Ch. XVIII, p. 471. 



3 "5" |S *^, written after 1259, Ch. XII and XIII, K. T. K. Vol. XIV, pp. 195 



and 1212. 



4 ^ -& ^M ^k., written before 1346 by the Buddhist priest Shiren, ^j0 ^, 



Ch. X, K.T.K. Vol. XIV, p, 813. 



5 1^ "A" ^ Wk. ' Pi'o^^Wy written at the end of the thirteenth century, Ch. II, 

 Gunsho ruijU, nr 487, Vol. XVII, p. 657. 



6 Cf. above, p. 156, note 2; Gunsho ruijU, Vol. XVI, nr 467, Ch. "^ , .p. 1073. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



