Techniques of a Japanese Buddhist Astrologer in the Twelfth Century: Notes on the SukuyÅ unmei kanroku å®¿æéå½åé²

Jeffrey Kotyk

ChapterÂ 5 Techniques of a Japanese Buddhist Astrologer in the Twelfth Century: Notes on the SukuyÅ unmei kanroku å®¿æéå½åé²

In: Astrologers at Work

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Jeffrey Kotyk

Jeffrey Kotyk Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 229â249

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004745322_010

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Abstract

Foreign astrology came to China starting around the fourth century through Buddhist texts, but it was only in the eighth century when local Buddhists came to have a pressing need to seriously study it. In the mid-eighth century, the monk Amoghavajra compiled the first authoritative Buddhist manual of astrology in Chinese with which monks could use for timing rituals. The popularity of this text encouraged the translation of horoscopy into Chinese starting around the year 800, after which time the art became mainstream. In the tenth century, we see in Japan the emergence of a unique lineage of astrologer-monks called SukuyÅdÅ (âWay of the Asterisms and Planetsâ). These monks cast horoscopes and interpreted them using astrological lore derived from Chinese translations of what we can identify as Hellenistic astrology. Doctrines such as triplicity rulers, the twelve houses, domiciles, and annual profections are attested in medieval Japan. This paper is a study of a twelfth-century Japanese horoscope, showing the diverse concepts and doctrines that the astrologer used. It is demonstrated that Japanese horoscopy was not so different from what was practiced elsewhere in the world, in large part because of a common heritage.

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Astrologers at Work

Essays on the Practices and Techniques of Astrology in Memory of Helena Avelar

Series:Â Time, Astronomy, and Calendars, Volume: 14

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004745322

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 20 Nov 2025

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ChapterÂ 5 Techniques of a Japanese Buddhist Astrologer in the Twelfth Century: Notes on the SukuyÅ unmei kanroku å®¿æéå½åé²

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Astrologers at Work

Essays on the Practices and Techniques of Astrology in Memory of Helena Avelar

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ChapterÂ 5 Techniques of a Japanese Buddhist Astrologer in the Twelfth Century: Notes on the SukuyÅ unmei kanroku å®¿æéå½åé²