Shrines, Temples, Faith, and Money

Course number: B06

Supervised by: Mitsuru Hayama

Beyond the text: 10 exercises · 4 coins · 11 readings　How reading times are calculated

You will also understand

• You can describe how "the being that guarantees value" passed from god to state.
• Can explain temple and shrine finance in medieval Japan (suiko, shidōsen, dosō), including interest rates and the agents involved.
• Can interpret the conflict between faith and currency (indulgences, iconoclasm, arson attacks) from an economic perspective.

You can start this course without reading any other course.

Also worth reading, to see the connections (optional)

• Deciphering the Images and Text on Coins
  What you learn: Looking at both faces of a coin, you can point to what lies in each part.
  The text refers to this course in section 3.

If you want to know more about checking sources (optional)

• Is It Really True? Checking History
  We re-examine the origins of money and famous anecdotes, comparing them with historical records and actual artifacts.

Assessment

10 exercises in this course (7 check, 0 compare, 3 written). Progress is recorded by self-assessment.

1. The temple was the first bankTemples were responsible for storage, record-keeping, and guarantees. Rather than settling on a single origin for coinage, we examine the connection between places of record-keeping and the system of coinage.
2. Spending for faith moves the systemReligious spending was a public work in its own frame. Do not file it as "waste" by today's judgement.
3. The guarantor moves from god to stateThe guarantor moved from god to king to state. What remains at the end is the act of believing.
4. Only the Japanese edition is strikingly thick hereA lopsided count shows a different face once turned into a ratio. Level the denominator before comparing.
5. Temples as Financial Institutions — From Suiko to DosōThe oldest moneylenders were temples. The best tool for collection was not violence, but faith.
6. The Knights' Bank — The Temple TowerA warrior order that protected the Holy Land became an early international financier, holding wealth across borders. Those who guard wealth become targets for those who desire it.
7. A Half-Century of Conflict — Indulgences, Iconoclasm, and ArsonIn the 16th century, the knot between faith and currency burned simultaneously in the East and West. The conflicts were also economic events with the face of faith.
8. The Archaeology of Saisen — From Sansen to SaisenSaisen are a memory of the first harvest offerings. They are the quietest witness to the transition from gaining revenue from the land to gaining it from the feet of people.

• The Roman Republic　Overview: the world　269 BC　The Temple of Moneta
  §1. Where the word moneta comes from. A short stop, but the core of this course.
• The copper that cast the Great Buddha　Japan　740–745　The Kuni, Naniwa, and Shigaraki Capitals
  §2. Check in the original the account of the capital moving four times in five years.
• Gods and money　Overview: the world　General History　From the Face of Gods to the Face of the State
  §3. A full circle in which the guarantor changes and returns at last to "In God We Trust."
• Gold and invasion　Japan　1597　before the Hokoji, Kyoto
  An example where a system of rewards moved people in a way apart from faith. Read it paired with §2.
• Sakamoto, Omi　Japan　When temples were banks　the later 13th century–the 16th century
  Section 5. "The best tool for collection was not violence, but faith." — The most incisive line in this course.
• The counterfeiter king and the Temple　France　the 12th–14th centuries　The Temple enclosure, Paris
  Section 6. A specific account of the king's treasure being held at the Temple.
• Nobunaga　Japan　1571　Mount Hiei in Omi
  Section 7. Arson attack = seizure of wealth. Read this while considering the discrepancies in historical sources regarding the death toll.
• Before the halls of temples and shrines　Japan　When temples were banks　the 15th–16th centuries
  Section 8. From scattered coins to offertory coins. The oldest record of an offertory box is also found here.
• Paper carries the money　Italy　the 13th–14th centuries　A church pulpit
  Under a doctrine that considers interest a sin, profit from currency exchange—rather than interest on loans—provided a way to reconcile faith and commerce. Please read through to the disclaimer, which states that it is an overstatement to call this a loophole.
• The sink is in the house.　India　Present　Southern Temple
  According to industry estimates, there are three to four thousand tons of uncounted gold stored in temple treasuries. The text explains its nature: since this gold was a votive offering, there is no one to whom it can be returned, and thus it remains immobile.
• Coin famine　China　845　An abandoned temple, its bell still in the hall
  This was the year the state confiscated copper used for Buddhist statues and bells and reminted it into coins. Please read to see what is written as the deciding factor when prayer and state finances compete for the same metal.