6 Enlightened Authorship: The Case of Dōgen Kigen

This chapter is concerned with the questions of authorship in texts related to Dōgen Kigen, a Japanese monk who lived between 1200 and 1253, at the dawn of the Japanese Medieval period. Dōgen's works are made accessible to a public audience of educated readers. In addition, his most trusted adepts collected his words and manuscripts during his lifetime and after his demise. All titles listed are included in the most collection of his works, and only the last one, Shōbō genzō zuimonki , is more generally catalogued under another author's name, i.e. that of Ejō. Dōgen was involved, to widely varying degrees, in the production of those works catalogued under his name, and figures as different authorial types from the truthful disciple recording his master's words in Hōkyōki to the converse role of authoritative master, whose words are truthfully recorded by his own adepts (Eihei kōroku). Keywords: authorship; Dōgen Kigen; Hōkyōki; Japanese Medieval period; Japanese monk; Shōbō genzō zuimonki