Hongan-ji

Lore & Background

Hongan-ji was first established as a Buddhist temple in 1321 on the site of the mausoleum Higashi Otani, where Shinran, the founder of the Jōdo Shinshū school of Pure Land Buddhism, was buried. Shinran's grandson Kakue attended the mausoleum, and Kakue's son Kakunyo became the first chief priest of the Hongan-ji and third monshu, dedicating it to the worship of Amitābha. The Hongan-ji first gained power and importance in the 15th century when Rennyo became its eighth monshu. The Tendai sect of Mount Hiei attacked the Hongan-ji three times with its army of sōhei, and Rennyo fled to Yoshizaki-gobō, where he established a new temple compound.

During the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga attempted to destroy the Hongan-ji and its associated ikkō-ikki, laying siege to Ishiyama Hongan-ji in Osaka for ten years. In 1580, the abbot of Ishiyama, Kōsa, surrendered, though the fortress burnt to the ground. His son Kyōnyo refused to surrender and was publicly disowned. After Nobunaga's death, Abbot Kōsa was rewarded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi with land in Kyoto, now the site of Nishi Hongan-ji. In 1603, Kyōnyo, who had supported Tokugawa Ieyasu, was rewarded with land for a temple east of Nishi Hongan-ji, which became Higashi Hongan-ji. In 1619 the government recognized the two entities as separate congregations.

Reader's Guide

Hongan-ji's significance lies in its role as the largest school of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, shaping religious life in Japan through its institutional stability (Nishi branch) and its production of influential thinkers (Higashi branch). The Nishi Hongan-ji, formally the Jodo-Shinshu Honganji-ha, has a history of institutional stability, high membership, and a large geographical reach with overseas temples in the United States, South America, Hawai'i, Canada, and Europe, organized into districts such as the Buddhist Churches of America. It operates the Hongwanji International Center, a publishing company, and a bimonthly newspaper. The Higashi Hongan-ji, controlled by the Ōtani-ha since the Meiji Restoration, has experienced schisms and controversies but produced controversial thinkers like Soga Ryōjin and Kiyozawa Manshi. The Ōtani-ha has approximately 5.5 million members. In recent years, Hongan-ji members have been involved in protests against visits to Yasukuni Shrine and issued a statement opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The temples themselves contain important cultural properties, including the massive Goei-dō at Higashi Hongan-ji, which vies for the claim of largest wooden building in the world, and the Nishi Hongan-ji's Hiunkaku tea pavilion and Noh stages.

Did You Know?

• Hongan-ji was first established in 1321 on the site of Shinran's mausoleum.
• The institution split into Nishi and Higashi branches after Kyōnyo was rewarded with land for a temple in Kyoto in 1603.
• The Nishi Hongan-ji operates a publishing company that produces books, music, films, and anime about Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism.
• The Higashi Hongan-ji's Mie-dō dates from 1895 and vies for the claim of largest wooden building in the world.