Kukai (Kobo Daishi)

[nedkelly]

The temple Kannouji at Kabutoyama near Kobe was established by the fourth queen of Emperor Junna. Later the queen secretly escaped from the royal palace and moved to Kabutoyama in 828 with the help of Kukai. Kukai built the statue and main building. All this can be found in history books. However I have been told verbally that Kukai and the empress were lovers. Is this true or is there some basis for the legend?

 

[Majestic]

This being another lazy day in a long series of lazy days, I surfed around on the internet and found some chatter about them being lovers, but nothing substantial. Kukai would have been 29 years old when Manai-Gozen was born, so, notwithstanding my immediate desire to doff my chapeau to any gentleman who can charm someone 29 years his junior, I have to regard the episode as being a wishful fabrication.

She was a disciple of his, and they say he carved a buddhist statue in her image, but I think its a stretch to think that they were lovers. He would have been 54 at the time the Kanno-ji temple was built (she would have been about 25).

By the way, I think the term "fourth queen" wouldn't be accurate in this case. I notice it is the term used in the English Wikipedia entry for Kanno-ji, and this is referenced elsewhere on the web, but Manai-Gozen wasn't a queen, she would be closer to princess consort. She is listed as the 4th princess consort in the Japanese Wikipedia entry for Kanno-ji, but elsewhere she is listed as the "second princess consort". I'm also not sure she "escaped" from the court with the help of Kukai. It conjures up an image like you might find in a costume drama. She left all right (in 829, with two of her retainers), and Kukai took her in as a disciple, but I don't think he helped spring her from her royal apartment or snuck her out through the side gate. She died not too long after that, at age 33. He died one day after her.


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窶儖ﾅ津｣窶堙娯?彖ﾂ静?55:窶戞ﾋ?凪?愿ｲ
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[nedkelly]

On the other hand if he was enthusiastic enough to carve her likeness, who knows what transpired afterwards. Also, as she was an imperial consort he could not have been open about it. Anyway thank you for clarifying and for providing the further reading.