Prince Shōtoku in the context of "Japanese historiography"

Tennōki (天皇記, Record of the Emperor), alternatively known as Sumera Mikoto no Fumi, is a historical text purported to have been written in 620 by Shōtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako. It is recorded in the Nihon Shoki, but no extant copies are known to exist.

According to the Nihon Shoki,

Kokki (国記), alternatively known as Kuni tsu Fumi meaning "National Record", is a Japanese historical text purported to have been written in 620 by Shōtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako. It is recorded in the Nihon Shoki, but there are no known extant copies. Assuming that it did in fact exist, it would predate both the Kojiki (712) and the Nihon Shoki (720).

Hōryū-ji (Japanese: 法隆寺; lit. 'Temple of the Flourishing Dharma') is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Built shortly after Buddhism was introduced to Japan, it is also one of the oldest Buddhist sites in the country. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺), or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, with the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery.

The temple was founded by Prince Shōtoku in 607. According to the Nihon Shoki, in 670 all buildings were burned down by lightning. Reconstruction of the temple complex began soon after. Rebuilt at least 1,300 years ago, the Kondō (main hall) is widely recognized as the world's oldest wooden building. A tree ring survey conducted in 2001 revealed that the shinbashira of the five-story pagoda were cut down in 594, before it burned down in 670.

Ikaruga (斑鳩町, Ikaruga-chō) is a town in Ikoma District, Nara, Japan. As of 31 December 2024, the town had an estimated population of 28,036 in 12,292 households, and a population density of 2000 persons per km. The total area of the town is 14.27 km (5.51 sq mi) Ikaruga is home to Hōryū-ji and Hokki-ji, ancient Buddhist temples collectively inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other ancient temples include Hōrin-ji, also in the vicinity of Hōryū-ji. The town was named after the palace of Prince Shōtoku, Ikaruga-no-Miya (Imperial Palace of Ikaruga, or Imperial House of Ikaruga), whose grounds were at Hōryū-ji.

Princess Hashihito no Anahobe (穴穂部間人皇女, Anahobe no Hashihito no Himemiko, 560 – 7 February 622), also known as Empress Taiza (間人皇后), was a member of the Japanese imperial family in the Asuka period. She was the empress consort through her marriage to Emperor Yōmei.

It is said that Prince Shōtoku, Princess Anahobe's eldest son, built the Chūgū-ji temple for his mother. The temple is located in Ikaruga, Yamato Province, Nara Prefecture, Japan.

Soga no Umako (蘇我 馬子; 551? – June 19, 626) was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period.

Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the government by having his daughters married to members of the imperial family.

Buddhism played an important role in the development of Japanese art between the 6th and the 16th centuries. Buddhist art and Buddhist religious thought came to Japan from China through Korea. Buddhist art was encouraged by Crown Prince Shōtoku in the Suiko period in the sixth century, and by Emperor Shōmu in the Nara period in the eighth century. In the early Heian period, Buddhist art and architecture greatly influenced the traditional Shinto arts, and Buddhist painting became fashionable among wealthy Japanese. The Kamakura period saw a flowering of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, whose origins are in the works of Heian period sculptor Jōchō. During this period, outstanding busshi (sculptors of Buddhist statues) appeared one after another in the Kei school, and Unkei, Kaikei, and Tankei were especially famous.The Amida sect of Buddhism provided the basis for many popular artworks. Buddhist art became popular among the masses via scroll paintings, paintings used in worship and paintings of Buddhas, saint's lives, hells and other religious themes. Under the Zen sect of Buddhism, portraiture of priests such as Bodhidharma became popular as well as scroll calligraphy and sumi-e brush painting.

Hokki-ji or Hōki-ji (法起寺; the ‘temple of the Arising Dharma’) – formerly known as Okamoto-dera (岡本寺) and Ikejiri-dera (池後寺) – is a Buddhist temple temple in the Okamoto neighborhood of the town of Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple's honorary sangō prefix is "Kōhonzan" (岡本山), although it is rarely used. The temple was constructed to honor Avalokitesvara, and an 11-faced statue of the goddess is the primary object of worship in the temple. Hokki-ji is often considered to be one of the seven great temples founded by Prince Shōtoku, but in fact the temple was not completed until some decades after his death. In 1993, it was registered together with Hōryū-ji as an UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area.