2015年6月23日火曜日

Chin Wakei made a huge ship for Kamakura Shogun

In Japanese history, sometimes we can see many interesting people.
For me, particularly people at the Kamakura period look attractive.
So I want to introduce random person to you from time to time.

The anecdote of Chin Wakei (or Chin Nakei) is mysterious.
He was a Chinese craftsman in the Kamakura period.
He come from Song (a dinasty of China) to Japan, but still we can't confirm the year he came.
In 1183, he maintained the daibutsu (large statue of Buddha) of the Toudai-ji temple in Nara that damaged by a war, and rebuild daibutsuden, a hall for daibutsu.
He did them at the request of Chogen, a Japanese Buddhist monk who devoted his life to rebuild the daibutsu.

In 1195 Chin Wakei was offered to attend a ceremony for the rebuilding of the daibutsu by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first Kamakura shogun.
But Chin Wakei refused Yoritomo's offer, because Yoritomo had killed so many people during the war times.
That was the reason according to Wakei.

20 years later, Chin Wakei appeared in Kamakura even he had refused Yoritomo's offer before.
He meet the 3rd Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Sanetomo (Yoritomo's son).
He claimed Sanetomo was the reincarnation of a legendary Chinese Buddhist monk, and gained Sanetomo's confidence.
Then Sanetomo dreamed of making a voyage to China and visiting his temple in his previous life, and ordered Wakei to build a huge ship.

Finally Wakei made a huge Chinese style ship.
He brought the ship to Yuigahama beach, Kamakura.
However, unfortunately the ship sunk into the sandy beach because it was too heavy, and Wakei never could bring the ship to the sea.
The ship was abandoned at the sandy beach.
Sanetomo couldn't travel to China.

There is no record about Wakei's life after the case of the huge ship.
How do you think what happened to Wakei after that?

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