, also known as Gembō, was a Japanese scholar-monk and bureaucrat of the Imperial Court at Nara.

In 717-718, he was part of the Japanese mission to Tang China

Japanese missions to Tang China

Japanese missions to Tang China represent a lens for examining and evaluating the relationships between China and Japan in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries...

 (Kentōshi) along with Kibi no Makibi and Abe no Nakamaro. Genbō stayed in China for 17 years before returning to Japan.

He was a prominent figure associated with the Hossō sect of Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, appointed abbot (sojo) of Kōfuku-ji by Emperor Shōmu

Emperor Shomu

was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...

.

• 740 (Tenpyō
  Tenpyo
  , also romanized as Tempyō, was a after Jinki and before Tenpyō-kanpō. This period spanned the years from August 729 through April 749. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
  
   12): Gembō made improper advances to the wife of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, Hirotsugu petitioned for the removal of the priest, but Kibi no Makibi and Genbō conspired successfully to discredit him.

At the time of Genbō's death, it was popularly believed that he was killed by the vengeful spirit of Hirotsugu.