Sima Guang 司馬光 and Ennin 圓仁 on Reports of Imperial Cannibalism: A Correction

Barrett, T.H.

Abstract

Recent scholarship on the ritual and religious killing of human beings in medieval China is reviewed here in the light of new textual evidence. The sources recommending human sacrifice in military contexts are noted, and the role of deliberate slander of Daoists by Buddhists in cases of supposed imperial cannibalism is further explored.

Citation

Barrett, T. (2015). Sima Guang 司馬光 and Ennin 圓仁 on Reports of Imperial Cannibalism: A Correction. Studies in Chinese Religions, 1(3), 203-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/23729988.2015.1090103

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 20, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Oct 6, 2015
• Publication Date: Oct 6, 2015
• Deposit Date: Mar 23, 2025
• Journal: Studies in Chinese Religions
• Print ISSN: 2372-9988
• Electronic ISSN: 2372-9996
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 203-208
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23729988.2015.1090103
• Keywords: Sima Guang, Ennin, Tang Wuzong, human sacrifice, cannibalism, Buddho-Daoist polemics