Shadows of Transgression: Heian and Kamakura Constructions of Prostitution
2000; Sophia University; Volume: 55; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2668296
ISSN1880-1390
Autores Tópico(s)Chinese history and philosophy
ResumoW T rHEN the Pure Land Buddhist master Honen MM,' visited the port of Muro 2&, so the story goes, his boat was approached by three asobi _A Z, female entertainers described in contemporaneous sources as providers of sex as well as song and dance. The illustration of the tale in the early thirteenth-century Honen shonin eden tMPL L}dfin shows three alluring young women in a small skiff, alongside a boatful of men. Although the asobi are elegantly and tastefully dressed, their uncovered faces make it clear that they are not court ladies on an outing. One woman poles the skiff, one holds a parasol, and the third has a small drum tucked beneath her sleeve. Two groups of men gaze at the asobi from Honen's boat: laymen who cheer on the women with encouraging gestures and laughter, and monks with solemn expressions. The brilliant colors of the illustration, the laymen's delighted faces, and the obvious youth and beauty of the women suggest a scene of gaiety and pleasure, but the text presents a far more sober picture. The women have not approached Honen's boat to offer him pleasure, but to lament that they are burdened with transgressions and to implore his help for their salvation. Truly the obstacles to salvation from living your lives in this way are not trivial, Honen replies. If they are not willing to risk starvation by abandoning their profession, their only hope, he advises, is to recite the nenbutsu-to call on the name of Amida Buddha and invoke his mercy. Thanking Honen tearfully, the asobi go on their way. Later they report to him that they have retired to a mountain village to devote themselves to the nenbutsu in hopes of rebirth in Amida's paradise.1
Referência(s)