Beyond Borders and Sects: The Ōbaku Canon as a Cross-Sectarian and Transnational Project

The Ōbaku Edition of the Buddhist Canon, initiated and spearheaded by Tetsugen Dōkō (鐵眼道光 1630–1682), profoundly influenced Japanese Buddhism and printing culture. Although the Ōbaku Edition has long been recognized as a product of cross-border collaboration, earlier studies have primarily focused on its textual features and religious significance after publication. As a result, the specific mechanisms and significance of its transnational nature have remained underexplored. This study revisits the canon’s compilation as a complex trans-sectarian and transnational social practice. Drawing on a variety of sources, it provides new insights into the production of the Ōbaku Canon, showing that this trans-sectarian project was driven by the interplay of several key dynamics: transnational networks supplying its base text, intellectual contributions from Chinese migrants, local social needs in post-fire Nagasaki, and Tetsugen’s personal aim to use the canon in doctrinal debate. Tetsugen’s printing endeavor continued the medieval tradition of kanjin (fundraising), serving as a religious, educational, and institutional undertaking shaped by interactions with broader socio-economic support. Positioned within a wider social framework, Tetsugen’s cross-sectarian activities facilitated the successful circulation and popularization of the canon, promoting a shift in the use of Buddhist scriptures from prayer-centered practice to doctrinal study and reflecting a broader transformation in Japanese Buddhism, from state-supported Buddhism to more popular forms.