Summary Of Kevin Gray Carr's Shotoku

Article by Kevin Gray Carr is based on his studies of relics of Prince Shotoku in Medieval Japan. Carr states that remains of Prince became “personalized relics”, and through the historical transformation reached the same level of veneration as relic of Sakyamuni. In the medieval times, Shotoku was known as “Japan’s Sakyamuni”. The bond between two figures lies in their linguistic, biographical, and individual similarities. Carr believed that Shotoku and Sakyamuni can be linked through relics. The relics play important role in Buddhism across Asia. However, there was a gap between historical Buddha, places of his deeds, and the physical location of Japan. Thus, the country became remote from the Buddha not only historically, but geographically.