Tracing the Itinerant Path

Women have long been active supporters and promoters ofBuddhist rituals and functions, but their importance in theoperations of Buddhist schools has often been minimized.Chin’ichib? (?–1344), a nun who taught male and femaledisciples and lived in her own temple, is therefore considered ananomaly. In Tracing the Itinerant Path, Caitilin Griffiths’meticulous research and translations of primary sources indicatethat Chin’ichib? is in fact an example of her time—a learnedfemale who was active in the teaching and spread ofBuddhism—and not an exception.

Chin’ichib? and her disciples were jish?, members of a PureLand Buddhist movement of which the famous charismatic holyman Ippen (1239–1289) was a founder. Jish?, distinguished bytheir practice of continuous nembutsu chanting, gained thesupport of a wide and diverse populace throughout Japan fromthe late thirteenth century. Male and female disciples rarelycloistered themselves behind monastic walls, preferring toconduct ceremonies and religious duties among the members oftheir communities. They offered memorial and other services tolocal lay believers and joined itinerant missions, traveling acrossprovinces to reach as many people as possible. Female memberswere entrusted to run local practice halls that included maleparticipants. Griffiths’ study introduces female jish? who werekeenly involved—not as wives, daughters, or mothers, but aspartners and leaders in the movement.

Filling the lacunae that exists in our understanding ofwomen’s participation in Japanese religious history, Griffithshighlights the significant roles female jish? held and offers a morenuanced understanding of Japanese Buddhist history. Students ofBuddhism, scholars of Japanese history, and those interested inwomen’s studies will find this volume a significant andcompelling contribution.