Empress Komyo

JAPAN; Nara period

The empress of Emperor Shomu (reigned 724–749) of the Nara period, Empress Komyo was also known as known as Fujiwara no Asukabehime, Fujiwara Komyoshi, or Tosanjyo. She was often addressed by later generations as Empress Komyo Kogo or Empress Fujiwara Kogo.
During her reign, she established several hospitals and charitable organizations, and through her own funding, she offered herbs and medicines to patients, aided the poor, and sought the general well-being of the people. She assisted in the construction of the Kofukuji Temple Five-Story Pagoda, as well as Kairyuoji Temple in Nara. Additionally, the empress accompanied Emperor Shomu in the establishment of Todaiji, Kokubunji, and Kokubunji temples in Nara.
In 754, Empress Komyo, alongside Emperor Shomu and their daughter, the recently crowned Empress Koken, took the precepts at Todaiji Temple under Master Jianzhen. Both she and the emperor eventually were tonsured and renounced as Buddhist monastics. In 756, when Emperor Shomu passed away, Empress Komyo drafted a will which dedicated his belongings to Todaiji Temple; these items are kept in the Todaiji Temple Shosoin till today.
For many years in her later life, Empress Komyo devoted herself to the transcription of sutras, many of which were based on the 5,000 sutras that were brought to Japan from China by monk Genbo. In total, she completed over 7,000 volumes. Her writings were scrupulously upright and energetic, and are considered masterpieces of the Nara period (710–794). 750 of these volumes are kept in the Todaiji Temple Shosoin, while approximately 250 were disbursed into the community. These transcribed scriptures ultimately became known as the Votive Sutras of Empress Komyo. A special feature of each sutra is the personal prayers she appended to the ends. The Ajatasatru Sutra that Empress Komyo transcribed was dedicated to her deceased parents and is now kept at the Nara National Museum. The 39th chapter of the Samyukta Agama she scripted was offered and dedicated to Kongobuji Temple in Wakayama by General Ashikaga in 1344. The ends of both volumes of the Yogacarabhumi Sastra and the Abhidharma Mahavibhasa Sastra the empress scripted are also kept at Todaiji Temple.