Mazu Temple in Shenzhen 深圳天后宫: The Last Stop for Ming and Qing Envoys to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian Nations

Mazu Statue inside, photo by Jiang Wu

When I was in Shenzhen in May 2015, my friend brought me to the rebuilt Mazu Temple 深圳天后宫 in Chiwan. I thought there was nothing to see but only learned from a few inscriptions inside that it was the last stop that Chinese envoys left China for diplomatic missions to Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam. They sailed from Guangzhou and stopped here which is located at the mouth of Pearl River. The official envoys offered sacrifice and paid homage to Mazu for their safe journey.

Mazu Temple Gate, photo by Jiang Wu

Prof. Hayashi Masako's 林正子 Study of Obaku Sculptor Fan Daosheng 范道生 and His Father Fan Jue 范爵

Fan Daosheng's Maitreya Sculpture

I recently read Prof. Hayashi Masako's 林正子 fascinating article on Fan Daosheng 范道生 (See a more detailed biography in Japanese.) and his father Fan Jue 范爵, a sculptor as well. Fan Daosheng was a famous Chinese Buddhist sculptor in Edo Japan and worked for Yinyuan to build the new Manpukuji. Many Buddha sculptures in Manpukuji now were actually his works. However, little is know about his life. We do know however he died in 1670 when the bakufu rejected his entry to Japan after his trip to Vietnam to see his father.

Prof. Hayashi's article is not a simple biography of him and his father. Rather, she built a rich context to put Fan and his father in the complicated maritime politics and culture among China, Japan, and Vietnam. Through her work we now know that his father Fan Jue might have migrated to Vietnam between 1651-1654 and lived in the China Town at Hoi'an 會安 under the aegis of the Ngyuen regime. He was an active member of the Ming loyalist community Mingxiangshe 明香社. He and his son even helped to build statues and bells for Japanese temple Matsumotoji 松本寺 in Japan Town patronized by Japanese merchant Kadoya Shichirōbee かどや しちろうべえ 角屋七郎兵衛. The complicated situation can be seen from the following chart Prof. Hayashi created.

The full citation of this article is as follows:  
広南の范爵--新黄檗仏師范道生の父
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 黄檗文華 / 黄檗文化研究所 編. n128 (2007-08): 43-60

She also wrote many related articles on Vietnam, China and Japan during the early modern period, which are highly valuable.


越南本について--『東洋文庫蔵越南本書目』にみる日本とのかかわり
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 跡見学園女子大学人文学フォーラム. (2011): 118-127

台南の劉永福--「奉旨剿滅倭寇」の黒旗
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 史苑 / 立教大学史学会 編. v52 n2 (1992-03): p28-51

『大南寔録』の成立過程--道光五旬節慶賀使節を中心として
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: フォーラム / 跡見学園女子大学文化学会 編. n18 (2000-03): 105-121

『大南寔録』の成立過程(2)フランス支配下における変質を中心として
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 人文-自然-人間科学研究 / 拓殖大学人文科学研究所編集委員会 編. n5 (2001-5): 256-243

『大南寔録』の成立過程(4)『正編第四紀』の黒旗軍記事にみる編纂意図
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese

Publication: 跡見学園女子大学文学部紀要. n41 (2008-3): 29-48

『大南寔録』の成立過程(5)謝貴安『中国実録体史学研究』をめぐって
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 跡見学園女子大学文学部紀要. n42 (2009-3): 87-100

『大南寔録』の成立過程(6-A)嘉定と仏山
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 跡見学園女子大学文学部紀要. n44 (2010-3): 29-46

『大南寔録』の成立過程(6-B)ルグラン-ド-ラ-リラエ師
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 跡見学園女子大学文学部紀要. n47 (2012-3): 89-105

越南五戸寺の明命9年銘鐘をめぐって(1)ベトナムへの返還運動とその意義 by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako Article Article Language: Japanese Publication: 人文-自然-人間科学研究 / 拓殖大学人文科学研究所編集委員会 編. n11 (2004-3): 96-107
越南五戸寺の明命9年の銘鐘をめぐって(2)銘文の紹介
by 林 正子; ハヤシ マサコ; Hayashi Masako
Article Article
Language: Japanese
Publication: 人文-自然-人間科学研究 / 拓殖大学人文科学研究所編集委員会 編. n16 (2006-10): 42-54

Ven. Sumitani Ujo's 住谷瓜頂 online Obaku research tools

黄檗宗・慧日山永明寺ＨＰ

Yōmeiji founded by Tetsugyu Doki 鉄牛道機 (1６２８-1７００）

Dr. Yang Kuei-hsiang told me that the Yōmeiji 永明寺 abbot Ven. Sumitani Ujō's 住谷瓜頂 （すみたに うじょう）keeps an active Obaku research website. I was amazed by how rich the information is contained in this website. This is a great online resource for Obaku research. His website includes the following useful collections:

Obaku Encyclopedia 黄 檗 事 典　　　　　　　　

Ven. Sumitani  Ujō's translation and commentary of the recorded sayings of Obaku patriarchs 瓜 頂 和 尚 『 祖 録 』 漫 解 帖

Selections of Obaku monks' anecdotes 檗僧逸話選集

Selection of research materials related to the Obaku sect 黄檗宗資料集