聖德太子在日本傳統中帶有多面性，比如被作爲日本文化形成的奠基人，被作爲開創日本佛教之祖等，甚至被民間奉為匠神、軍神等。即便現代不斷有學者針對其人在歷史上的真實存在提出懷疑，大多數日本民衆還是願意相信實有其人。原因在於，雖然自古傳承的相關其人的傳記記錄大多被後世出自「太子信仰」附加了虛飾神化的内容，但是透過近代史學的研究，反映出仍有文獻以及考古史料指向聖德太子並非是全然虛構。因此，聖德太子研究作爲日本學術界的傳統議題行之已久，即便在當今依然是一門「顯學」。本論文透過釐清明治以來日本學者對「聖德太子」的「聖化」與「歷史」形象的思想史研究，考察在日本文化中所探尋的「聖德太子」以及這種探尋聖德太子本身的意義為何，藉此呈現相關此議題研究的日本學界成果，為鮮少探討聖德太子議題的華語學界提供一項研究參考。

Prince Shotoku shows diversity in Japanese tradition. People believe he created Japanese Buddhism and set up the foundation of Japanese culture. Even though some scholars doubt his existence, most of the Japanese people still believe he was real. The historical data about Prince Shotoku have been embellished because of the faith in prince. But these data as well as some studies afterwards showed evidences that Prince Shotoku was not an invention. Prince Shotoku is still an important issue to be discussed nowadays. This paper aims to clarify the deification and historical image of Prince Shotoku that past studies have been searched and search the meaning of discussing him in order to reevaluate Prince Shotoku’s position in Japanese culture’s formation. This study will offer a new vision to Chinese academic world in which Prince Shotoku has rarely been discussed.