학술논문
The Buddhist mythmaking of defilement: sacred courtesans in medieval Japan
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Source
The Journal of Asian Studies. Feb, 1993, Vol. 52 Issue 1, p49, 17 p.
Subject
Language
ISSN
0021-9118
Abstract
Buddhism in medieval Japan changed the prevailing attitudes of the Japanese towards courtesans. More fundamentally, the concept of defilement was redefined in such a way that sexual relationship of a Buddhist monk with a courtesan is considered moral. The combined purity of the monks and the baseness of the prostitutes were often depicted in medieval Japanese tales and stories. Courtesans were thought to obtain salvation in the afterlife despite of their many sins.