The Reception of Jizang's Commentary to the Twelve Gates Treatise (T1825) in Medieval Japan. A Comparative Study of Buddhist Manuscripts.

• Applicant: Michael Kinadeter
• Subject Area: Asian Studies
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 569026219

The development of the Sanron (Three-Treatise) school in medieval Japan remains a largely unexplored area of research. Although the school held a prominent position until the 9th century, it rapidly lost its significance thereafter. This raises the question as to why dozens of new commentaries on Sanron works were composed in the 13th and 14th centuries. To address this issue, I have analyzed the commentarial literature on one of the eponymous three treatises, the Twelve Gates Treatise. Specifically, my research traces the reception of the work in Japan, including its transmission, its role in rongi-debates, and the emergence of new commentaries. On a larger scale, the study lays the groundwork for a prosopographical analysis and a subsequent social network analysis.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants