Sangō Shiiki

is a dialectic allegory written by Kūkai in 794. It is Japan's oldest comparative ideological critique.
At the time of writing, Kūkai was 24 years old. It is his debut work.
==Contents==
The text is three volumes in length. It is written in a dialectic style comparing and critiquing Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Teachers from each school of thought attempt to educate a dissolute nephew Tokaku. In volume one, Kibō lectures on Confucianism. In volume two, Kyobō Inji critiques Confucianism from a Taoism position. Finally, in volume three, Kamei Kotsuji critiques Taoism from a Buddhist position. The conclusion is the Buddhism is the superior philosophy.
==Characters==
The main characters appearing within the text were based on actual people:
*Kamei Kotsuji: Kūkai himself
*Tokaku: 
*Kibō: 
*Kyobō: unclear but seems to be based on Sima Xiangru
==References==
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Category:Late Old Japanese texts
Category:Allegory
Category:Mahayana texts
Category:Shingon Buddhism
ja:三教指帰