and , also known as the
Enchin and
Ennin factions, respectively, were rival branches of the
Tendai sect of
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
created in the 9th century and based on
Mount Hiei just outside
Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
. Jimon's head temple was
Mii-dera, at the foot of
Mount Hiei, while the Sanmon sect was based at
Enryaku-ji, at the summit of the mountain.
The origins of the schism began with a rivalry between the lineages of two disciples of the founder of Tendai Buddhism,
Saicho, named
Ennin and
Enchin, over who would be the of Enryaku-ji temple, rather than based on differing opinions on dogma or doctrine. Following the deaths of
Enchin in 891, this rivalry only deepened, and by 923 the 18th abbot,
Ryōgen, further enflamed this rivalry, as he sought to solidify the Ennin lineage's hold not just on Enryaku-ji, but as the sole representatives of the Tendai sect at the Imperial court. For example, in the
Ōwa Debate of 963, the Tendai side of the debate included Ryōgen and his close associates in the same lineage, despite more qualified and eminent monks from the Tendai sect being available.
Subsequent conflicts were often the result of a monk from one faction becoming appointed Abbot (''zasu'') of the other faction's temple, or of one faction not being invited to events, conferences, or festivals held by the other. For example, in 981, the Imperial court appointed one Yokei (Enchin lineage) as abbot of
Hosshō-ji temple, which led to a protest by the Ennin lineage. 160 monks of Ennin's lineage marched on the Chancellor's mansion threatening violence if the appointment was not rescinded.
In 993, fighting broke out between the factions. Monks of the Enchin lineage were driven out of Enryaku-ji and moved down the mountain to Mii-dera forming the faction, while the monks of the Ennin lineage who remained at Enryaku-ji formed the faction.
Along with other major temples in the capital, both sects formed the first standing armies of warrior monks, called ''
sōhei''. When the
Genpei War broke out in 1180, the warrior monks of the two sects found themselves on opposing sides, the Enryaku-ji Sanmon monks supporting the
Taira clan
The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of History of Japan, Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto clan, Minamoto, the Fujiwara clan, Fuji ...
while Mii-dera's Jimon monks supported the
Minamoto clan.
Only after the end of the Genpei War and the establishment of the
Kamakura shogunate did the conflicts between the two sects settle down. However, the division and disagreement lasted several centuries longer, until both temples were destroyed by the forces of
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
at the end of the 16th century. Though it is unclear when the names Jimon and Sanmon fell out of use, and when the two temples ceased fighting, the destruction of both temples by a greater, larger outside force brought a definite end to their quarrels.
References
{{More citations needed, date=January 2021
Tendai
Religious schisms