TY - CHAP

T1 - Evil Bands and Violent Narratives in Thirteenth-Century Japan

AU - Oxenbøll, Morten

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - During the second half of the thirteenth century in Japan, different actors in local power struggles, primarily landholding temples, would increasingly recite incidents involving so-called ‘akutô’ (‘evil bands’) in their appeals to the government for armed assistance. Through references to specific crimes associated with banditry and ‘evil bands’ in general, such as murder, theft and arson, the temples aimed to show the negative impact the conflicts could possibly have on temple economy and estate control. Simultaneously they could emphasize the political and social danger posed by their legal opponents as enemies of the Imperial Court and the Buddhist faith, since a decrease in temple income would jeopardize their religious services and the divine protection of the country and the Imperial House. Formulaic descriptions of illegalities thus became increasingly important in invoking state justice. This chapter will discuss how and why these violent narratives were employed by local antagonists in their legal struggles. It will thus be argued that notions of ‘evil’ were used as a rhetorical device in secular struggles in order to put religious and moral pressure on the government and its local representatives.

AB - During the second half of the thirteenth century in Japan, different actors in local power struggles, primarily landholding temples, would increasingly recite incidents involving so-called ‘akutô’ (‘evil bands’) in their appeals to the government for armed assistance. Through references to specific crimes associated with banditry and ‘evil bands’ in general, such as murder, theft and arson, the temples aimed to show the negative impact the conflicts could possibly have on temple economy and estate control. Simultaneously they could emphasize the political and social danger posed by their legal opponents as enemies of the Imperial Court and the Buddhist faith, since a decrease in temple income would jeopardize their religious services and the divine protection of the country and the Imperial House. Formulaic descriptions of illegalities thus became increasingly important in invoking state justice. This chapter will discuss how and why these violent narratives were employed by local antagonists in their legal struggles. It will thus be argued that notions of ‘evil’ were used as a rhetorical device in secular struggles in order to put religious and moral pressure on the government and its local representatives.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - Japan

KW - middelalder

M3 - Book chapter

SP - 47

EP - 54

BT - State Power and the Legal Regulation of Evil

A2 - Dominello, Francesca

PB - Inter-Disciplinary Press

ER -