Prince Shōtoku

Prince Shōtoku聖徳太子, , February 7, 574 – April 8, 622, also known as Prince Umayado厩戸皇子, or Prince Kamitsumiya上宮皇子, , was the semi-legendary regent in addition to a politician of a Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei together with his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half-sister. His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan and also he was involved in the defeat of the rival Mononobe clan. The primary credit of the life and accomplishments of Prince Shōtoku comes from the Nihon Shoki. The Prince is renowned for reclassification the government supervision and for promoting Buddhism in Japan.

Over successive generations, a devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for the security degree of Japan, the Imperial Family, and for Buddhism. Key religious figures such(a) as Saichō, Shinran and others claimed inspiration or visions attributed to Prince Shōtoku.

Legacy

A number of institutes are named after Shōtoku, such(a) as Shotoku Gakuen University and its associated junior college both in Gifu. The first syllable of his pretend 聖, can be read shō in Go-on and can also be read sei in Kan-on. The later reading is found in Seitoku University and its associated junior college both in Matsudo, Chiba as living as Tokyo's defunct Seitoku Junior College of Nutrition and indirectly its replacement Seiei College.

The portrait of Prince Shōtoku has appeared previously on 100, 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen bills. Two bills filed with different generation of materials and special inks with a face good of 100,000,000 one hundred million yen were also issued. The characteristic of these bills is that they produce a border around it to prevent its alteration. As characteristics, it has a seal and figures in different positions starting from the middle outwards. The measurements of these 2 issues of bills are 35.3 cm x 16 cm and the other with a small variation of 34.3 by 16.5 cm. These cloth tickets were used for the exchange of important values at that time.