[About the Book]

This volume takes the medieval estate of Tosa Hata-no-shō, located in the southwestern part of present-day Kōchi Prefecture, as a case study to explore the multifaceted relationship between Japanese medieval temples and local communities.
Drawing on a close examination of historical sources-including the Kongōfukuji Documents, inscriptions found inside Buddhist statues, fundraising petitions, and temple ridge plaques-the author vividly reconstructs the religious practices of monks and laypeople, as well as the lived realities of regional society in medieval Japan.

In medieval Japan, temples were far more than religious institutions; they played essential roles in maintaining social order, fostering regional economic development, and shaping cultural networks. Based on a wealth of historical materials, this book elucidates these functions and offers indispensable perspectives for understanding the dynamism of medieval Japanese society.

A stimulating read not only for researchers and students interested in Japanese history, Buddhist studies, and the social history of religion, but also for international readers seeking to understand the relationship between regional communities and religion.

[Author Biography]
Shin Tochika

1951 Born in Shimanto City, Kōchi Prefecture.
1975 Graduated from Kōchi University, Faculty of Education, Special Program in Fine Arts.
1975 Began his career as a public-school teacher, serving at junior-high schools in Susaki, Tosashimizu, Sukumo, and Shimanto.
2003 Completed the correspondence-course program, Department of History, Faculty of Letters, Hōsei University.
2007 Finished the master’s program, Graduate School of Letters (correspondence), Bukkyo University.
2012 Retired upon reaching the mandatory age as vice-principal of Shimoda Junior High School, Shimanto City.
2014 Completed the doctoral program, Graduate School of Letters (correspondence), Bukkyo University.
Received the degree of Doctor of Letters from Bukkyo University.
2023 Currently serves as Chair of the Tosashimizu City Cultural Property Protection Council, Chair of the Liaison Council for Cultural Property Protection in the Hata District, and as a member of the editorial committee for the New History of Tosashimizu City.
Current residence: Shimanto City, Kōchi Prefecture.

Co-authored Works
The Buddhist Statues of Ōgata Town, ed. Aoki Jun, Nishimura Tōsha-dō, 2007.
The World of Medieval Tosa and the Ichijō Clan, ed. Ichimura Takao, Kōshi-shoin, 2010.
Designated Cultural Properties of Tosashimizu City, Tosashimizu City Board of Education, Bunkadō Printing, 2017.
Photo album Shōwa Era in Hata, supervised by Takuma Kazuyuki, Jurin-sha, 2017.
FY 2020 Special Exhibition “Opening the Eastern Gate of Potalaka - Sada-san KongōーHuku-ji,” Kōchi Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, 2020.
Survey Report on the Tosa Pilgrimage Route: KongōーHuku-ji Path and the Area around the Shinnen Hermitage, Tosashimizu City Board of Education, Sukumo Printing, 2022.
This volume is the bookstore distribution edition of the e-book Kanjin, Kokujin, and Buddhist Culture: Temples and Regional Society in the Hata Estate of Medieval Tosa (22nd-Century Art), published in January 2023.