Sangō Shiiki

is a dialectic allegory written by Kūkai in 794. It is Japan's oldest comparative ideological critique.

At the time of writing, Kūkai was 24 years old. It is his debut work.

Contents

The text is three volumes in length. It is written in a dialectic style comparing and critiquing Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Teachers from each school of thought attempt to educate a dissolute nephew Tokaku. In volume one, Kibō lectures on Confucianism. In volume two, Kyobō Inji critiques Confucianism from a Taoism position. Finally, in volume three, Kamei Kotsuji critiques Taoism from from a Buddhist position. The conclusion is the Buddhism is the superior philosophy.

Characters

The main characters appearing within the text were based on actual people:
*Kamei Kotsuji: Kūkai himself
*Tokaku: Nihongo|Saeki clan|佐伯氏|
*Kibō: Nihongo|Ato no Ōtari|阿刀大足|
*Kyobō: unclear but seems to be based on Sima Xiangru

References

* cite book
last = Kubota
first = Jun
title = Iwanami Nihon Koten Bungaku Jiten
publisher = Iwanami Shoten
date = 2007
language = Japanese
id = ISBN 978-4-00-080310-6
* cite book
last = Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten Henshū Iinkai
title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten
publisher = Iwanami Shoten
date = 1986
language = Japanese
id = ISBN 4-00-080067-1
* cite book
last = Watanabe
first = Shōkō
coauthors = Yūshō Miyasaka
title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei: Sangō Shiiki, Shōryōshū
publisher = Iwanami Shoten
date = 1965
language = Japanese
id = ISBN 4-00-060071-0