This is a remarkable book about one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Japanese Buddhism...Abe's book will certainly emerge and remain the primary examination of Kûkai's life and thought for many years to come. It is thus a crucial read for anyone interested in early Japanese religion and intellectual history... The Weaving of Mantra provides a very lengthy, detailed, and substantial intellectual historical analysis of Kûkai...[T]his book is a monumental achievement that will fascinate students of Japanese religion and stimulate much discussion among historians.

(Steven Heine Journal of Asian Studies )

Abé has made a major contribution to our understanding of the figure of Kukai, of Esoteric Buddhism, of the political, intellectual and religious situation of the Nara and early Heian periods, and of our view of medieval Japanese Buddhism as a whole. He has command of an impressive range of sources, both classical and modern, and he has a sophisticated grasp of recent theoretical discussions.... Both in the new readings of early and medieval Japanese Buddhism that it advances and in the discussions that it will stimulate, this volume stands as a major addition to the field.

(Paul B. Watt Journal of Asian History )