The letters of Eshinni (1182-1268?), a Buddhist nun and the wife of Shinran (1173-1262), the founder of the Shin school of Buddhism, were discovered in 1921. James C. Dobbins usesthese letters to shed new light on life and religion in medieval Japan.
James C. Dobbins is Fairchild Professor Emeritus of Religion and East Asian Studies at Oberlin College.