Shinsei Shōnin (sometimes spelled Shinzei, 真盛, 1443–1495), was a priest of the

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...

school during the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

(period of warring states). He was the founder of the Shinsei School (天台真盛宗) of Tendai.Payne, Richard K
''Shinzei’s Discourse on Practicing the Samadhi of Meditating on the Buddha''.
Pacific World Journal New Series Number 7 Fall 1991 His shigo (posthumous title) was Enkai Kokushi ("National Teacher of Perfect Command") and Jishō Daishi ("The Great Teacher Jishō"). Shinsei is primarily associated with his attempts to revitalize Tendai

nembutsu file:玉里華山寺 (21)南無阿彌陀佛古碑.jpg, 250px, Chinese Nianfo carving The Nianfo ( zh, t=wikt:念佛, 念佛, p=niànfó, alternatively in Japanese language, Japanese ; ; or ) is a Buddhist practice central to East Asian Buddhism. ...

practice in response to the new Japanese

Pure Land Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...

schools which had split off from Tendai, mainly the

Jōdo-shū Jōdo-shū (浄土宗, "The Pure Land School"), is a Japanese branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Kamakura era monk Hōnen (1133–1212). The school is traditionally considered as having been established in 1175 and i ...

and

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran (founder) S ...

Overview

Shinsei was born in Ise Province, and his father was Koizumi Sakon no Jō Fujiyoshi (Lieutenant of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards). He was reputed to be a 17th-generation descendant of

Ki no Tsurayuki was a Japanese author, poet and court noble of the Heian period. He is best known as the principal compiler of the ''Kokin Wakashū'', also writing its Japanese Preface, and as a possible author of the ''Tosa Diary'', although this was publish ...

. His secular name was Koizumi. At the age of seven, Shinsei entered Kōmyō-ji in

Ise Ise may refer to: Places *Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria * Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan *River Ise, a tributary of the ...

. He received ordination and tonsure at fourteen, taking the religious name Shinsei. He was then initiated into Tendai esotericism ( Taimitsu) at Mitsuzō-in in the province of Owari. At the age of nineteen, Shinsei traveled to

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by ...

, where he studied doctrine and meditation under Keishū in the Saitō (Western Section) of the mountain. He remained on Mount Hiei for twenty years without descending. At forty-one, he retired to Kurodani Seiryū-ji Temple, a secluded location on Mount Hiei where

Hōnen , also known as Genkū, was the founding figure of the , the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. Hōnen became a Tendai initiate at an early age, but grew disaffected and sought an approach to Buddhism that all people of all ...

had once lived. There, he devoted himself to the nembutsu (the invocation of Buddha Amida's name), basing his practice on Genshin's ''

Ōjōyōshū The was an influential medieval Buddhism, Buddhist text composed in 985 by the Japanese Buddhist monk Genshin. The text is a comprehensive analysis of Buddhist practices related to rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitābha, Amida Buddha, drawing upon ...

'' (''The Essentials of Birth''). Shinsei emphasized the joint practice of keeping Buddhist precepts and the invocation of the

(kaishō-itchi). He traveled extensively, preaching in Ōmi, Ise, and Echizen, spreading his teachings at the Imperial Court, to court nobles and ladies, as well as provincial constables (shugo). His reputation as an ascetic devoted to nembutsu practice earned him great respect. Shinsei played a significant role in the restoration of Saikyō-ji Temple in Sakamoto,

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

, where

Ryōgen was the 18th chief abbot of Enryaku-ji in the 10th century. He is considered a restorer of the Tendai school of Mahayana Buddhism, and credited for reviving Enryaku-ji.English display at the TNM His supposed role as a precursor of the ''sōhei ...

and

Genshin , also known as , was a prominent Japanese monk of the Tendai school, recognized for his significant contributions to both Tendai and Pure Land Buddhism. Genshin studied under Ryōgen, a key reformer of the Tendai tradition, and became well kn ...

had once lived. The temple had been previously designated by Enkan as the main temple for Endonkai (Perfect and Sudden Precepts). Shinsei reestablished Saikyō-ji as the head temple of the new Shinsei School of Tendai Buddhism. Shinsei administered Buddhist precepts to members of the imperial family,

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

, and provincial military governors (shugo), who in turn granted him their patronage. His devout practice and teaching gained him a large following. During his lifetime, Emperor

Go-Tsuchimikado was the 103rd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後土御門天皇 (103) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1464 through 1500. This 15th-century sover ...

honored him with the title "Shōnin" ("Saint"). After his death, Emperor Go-Kashiwabara granted him the posthumous title Enkai Kokushi ("National Teacher of Perfect Command"). Shinsei passed away at the age of fifty-three at Sairen-ji Temple in Iga Province. His teachings and the Shinsei-ha branch of Tendai Buddhism continued to influence later generations, solidifying his place as a prominent figure in Japanese Buddhist history. According to Richard K. Payne "today, after almost five centuries, the Shinzei-ha is the third largest subsect of Tendai. The Saikyo-ji remains the headquarters of the Shinzei-ha, and there are "approximately 430 branch temples in Omi, Ise and Echizen regions." The Taishō edition of the Buddhist canon contains two key works by Shinsei, the ''Sōshin hōgo'' (T 2420) and the ''Nembutsu zammai hōgo'' (''Discourse on Practicing the Samadhi of Meditating on the Buddha'', T 2421).

Notes

{{Authority control 1443 births 1495 deaths Japanese Buddhist clergy 15th-century Buddhists Buddhist clergy of the Heian period Buddhist clergy of Muromachi-period Japan Tendai Buddhist monks

Overview

See also

Notes