Rennyo
Encyclopedia
was the 8th Monshu
, or head-priest, of the Hongwanji Temple of the Jōdo Shinshū
sect of Buddhism
, and descendant of founder Shinran
. Jodo Shinshu Buddhists often referred to as the restorer of the sect (or, the second founder), and for this is also referred to as Rennyo Shonin ("eminent monk"). Rennyo is responsible for a revitalization period in Jōdo Shinshū history where in which the religion was popularized for the masses. Despite being a pacifist, his populist attitude and charismatic preaching indirectly and inadvertently led into the Ikkō-ikki
revolts in which mobs of monks, peasants and farmers launched organized attacks on their feudal rulers. He was also known as Shinshō-in (信証院), and posthumously Etō Daishi (慧灯大師).
of the Hongwanji Temple, Zonnyō (存如, 1396–1457). At the age of 18 his father had fathered a son out of wedlock with a servant whose name is unknown. Being that Zonnyo was of a much higher rank and stature in society, Rennyo's mother was sent away when he was only 6 years old. Several times throughout his life he attempted to find his birth mother with no result. Also, Rennyo frequently quarreled with his step mother, Nyoenni (? -1460)). In turn, his step mother Nyoenni attempted to have her own son Ogen (1433–1503) installed as the successor to the Hongwanji. However, Rennyo's uncle, Nyojo (1402–1460), dismissed the idea and Rennyo ultimately succeeded as the 8th monshu
.
and creating converts there, an area dominated by the Bukkoji and Kinshokuji branches of Shinshū. Honganji had a good supporter in that region named Hoju
, who was head of the Katada congregation. He also had supporters in the town of Kanegamori, a network of friends that were of good status in society and crucial to his establishment as a competent leader. The monies generated in these regions helped to solidify Hoganji's defenses from sectarian attack early in Rennyo's reign.
Soon Rennyo's influence spread into Mikawa Province
, an area traditionally dominated by the Senjuji branch of Shinshū. He did this by making many appearances in these areas and presenting groups with his own commentaries on Shinran's works.
The monks of the Enryakuji (the head temple of the Tendai
School located on Mt. Hiei) noticed Rennyo's successes in the provinces around Kyoto. In 1465, Mt. Hiei sent a band of sōhei
(warrior monks) to the Honganji and destroyed the entire temple complex. The attacks were justified by claims that the Jōdo Shinshū movement was heretical. The actual motivation for these attacks was financial. Mt. Hiei had significant interests in Ōmi Province that included properties and businesses, and they felt they needed to prevent Jōdo Shinshū's growth before they felt the economic effects. However, due to the wealth of the congregations Rennyo had converted in the area, enough money was raised to bribe the Mt. Hiei warriors in exchange for peace. The contingency to this was that Honganji must become a member of Mt. Hiei's temples, thus entering them into yearly dues they had to pay Mt. Hiei. Rennyo was very nervous during this period, for just when Honganji was at the pinnacle of uniting the disbanded factions of Shinran
, Mt. Hiei reduced the Ōmi temple to rubble.
The years immediately following the attack of 1465 forced Rennyo to live a nomadic life. It was not until the Yamashina Mido
temple in Kyoto
was built in 1480 that he would be able to take permanent residence again. All of this was occurring at the height of the Ōnin War
in Japan, making security ever more an issue for Rennyo. He could not depend on any outside forces to protect his congregations. None of this stopped Rennyo's mission, as he continued to amass more converts in new areas such as Settsu Province
and Yoshino Province
. In 1469 he would make a trip to the Kantō region
, where he found the Shinshu orders there open to his new and refreshing teachings. This was despite the fact that Senjuji dominated the region. When pondering where to rebuild Honganji, Rennyo made a pivotal move and decided to build it as far away from the influence of Mt. Hiei as possible.
(present-day Fukui Prefecture
), a remote area that showed a lot of promise as it was near a coastal route. Once established the place flourished and adherents from surrounding provinces came to hear Rennyo speak. The congregation became so big that along the way to the new Honganji there were hundreds of lodges set up and run by Shinshū priests to lodge the travelers. By 1475, Rennyo returned to the Kyoto provinces with such a following that Mt. Hiei could no longer pose a credible threat to Jōdo Shinshū again. Rennyo had secured such status in the Jōdo Shinshū ranks that he had to begin issuing pastoral letters (or, ofumi) in place of appearances to congregations.
During this time, Rennyo established a new form of liturgy
(gongyō), incorporating elements that would eventually become the core of Honganji Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism
. He also rewrote many Buddhist texts into kana
, the simple, phonetic Japanese
characters, making the texts more accessible for the common person. In 1496, Rennyo sought solitude and retired to a rural area at the mouth of the Yodo River, where he built a small hermitage. The area was known for its "long slope," or "Ō-saka" (大阪) in Japanese. Contemporary documents about Rennyo's life and his hermitage were thus the first to refer to this place by the name Osaka
. Rennyo's isolation did not last long, however; his hermitage grew quickly into a temple and surrounding temple town (jinaimachi) as devotees gathered to pay him homage and to hear his teachings. By the time of Rennyo's death three years later (in 1499), the complex had come to be known as the Ishiyama Honganji, and was close to the final shape which would prove to be the greatest fortified temple in Japanese history.
Meanwhile, the broader Ikkō movement, being based on the power of commoners, governed itself, and grew of its own accord, growing in influence in Kaga
and Echizen Provinces, and becoming increasingly resentful of the control of the secular authorities. In 1488, they drove out the Constable of Kaga, a daimyo by the name of Togashi, and effectively took control of the entire province. The Ikkō-ikki then went on to defeat the Asakura clan
warriors from Echizen, who had been sent by the shogunate
to stop them.
doctrine. His most influential work is his collection of letters to various Shin monto (lay groups), popularly known as in the Nishi Honganji, and Ofumi in the Higashi Honganji. These letters have the status of scriptural texts and are traditionally used in Shinshu daily liturgy; the most well-known letter is the which is a reflection on the impermanence of life and the importance of relying on Amida Buddha's Vow. This letter is frequently read aloud during Jōdo Shinshū funeral services.
Rennyo's disciples also recorded things he said in a collection called the , which provides later followers with some insight into his personality and beliefs.
Jōdo Shū tradition into the Shinshū, and tolerated Shinto
kami
belief to a greater extent than Shinran. Ultimately though, such debates are moot, as without Rennyo's efforts the Shinshū would almost certainly have fragmented and been absorbed by other sects.
His 500th memorial service was observed in 1998.
(- see Dobbins & Rogers references below.)
Monshu
The Monshu , or keeper of the gate is a term sometimes used in Japanese Buddhism to denote the head of a monastery, as in the case of Jōdo Shū and Tendai Buddhism, but in the case of the Nishi Honganji sub-sect of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, it refers to the spiritual leader of the sect, and direct...
, or head-priest, of the Hongwanji Temple of the Jōdo Shinshū
Jodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
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...
, and descendant of founder Shinran
Shinran
was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino at the turbulent close of the Heian Period and lived during the Kamakura Period...
. Jodo Shinshu Buddhists often referred to as the restorer of the sect (or, the second founder), and for this is also referred to as Rennyo Shonin ("eminent monk"). Rennyo is responsible for a revitalization period in Jōdo Shinshū history where in which the religion was popularized for the masses. Despite being a pacifist, his populist attitude and charismatic preaching indirectly and inadvertently led into the Ikkō-ikki
Ikko-ikki
', literally "Ikkoshū Uprising", were mobs of peasant farmers, Buddhist monks, Shinto priests and local nobles, who rose up against samurai rule in 15th to 16th century Japan. They followed the beliefs of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism which taught that all believers are equally saved by Amida...
revolts in which mobs of monks, peasants and farmers launched organized attacks on their feudal rulers. He was also known as Shinshō-in (信証院), and posthumously Etō Daishi (慧灯大師).
Early life
Born as Hoteimaru (布袋丸), later Kenju (兼寿), Rennyo was the son of the 7th abbot or monshuMonshu
The Monshu , or keeper of the gate is a term sometimes used in Japanese Buddhism to denote the head of a monastery, as in the case of Jōdo Shū and Tendai Buddhism, but in the case of the Nishi Honganji sub-sect of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, it refers to the spiritual leader of the sect, and direct...
of the Hongwanji Temple, Zonnyō (存如, 1396–1457). At the age of 18 his father had fathered a son out of wedlock with a servant whose name is unknown. Being that Zonnyo was of a much higher rank and stature in society, Rennyo's mother was sent away when he was only 6 years old. Several times throughout his life he attempted to find his birth mother with no result. Also, Rennyo frequently quarreled with his step mother, Nyoenni (? -1460)). In turn, his step mother Nyoenni attempted to have her own son Ogen (1433–1503) installed as the successor to the Hongwanji. However, Rennyo's uncle, Nyojo (1402–1460), dismissed the idea and Rennyo ultimately succeeded as the 8th monshu
Monshu
The Monshu , or keeper of the gate is a term sometimes used in Japanese Buddhism to denote the head of a monastery, as in the case of Jōdo Shū and Tendai Buddhism, but in the case of the Nishi Honganji sub-sect of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, it refers to the spiritual leader of the sect, and direct...
.
Rennyo the Restorer
Following his installation as 8th head priest at Honganji in 1457, Rennyo demonstrated leadership capabilities. He immediately began mobilizing the sect's focus in the Ōmi ProvinceOmi Province
is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...
and creating converts there, an area dominated by the Bukkoji and Kinshokuji branches of Shinshū. Honganji had a good supporter in that region named Hoju
Hoju
The Hoju scheme is a family register system in North and South Korea. Hoju means the 'head of the family', Hojuje is the 'head of the family' system, and Hojeok is the 'family register'.It is similar to the Japanese Koseki and the Chinese Hukou system.It has been controversial as being innately...
, who was head of the Katada congregation. He also had supporters in the town of Kanegamori, a network of friends that were of good status in society and crucial to his establishment as a competent leader. The monies generated in these regions helped to solidify Hoganji's defenses from sectarian attack early in Rennyo's reign.
Soon Rennyo's influence spread into Mikawa Province
Mikawa Province
is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....
, an area traditionally dominated by the Senjuji branch of Shinshū. He did this by making many appearances in these areas and presenting groups with his own commentaries on Shinran's works.
The monks of the Enryakuji (the head temple of the Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
School located on Mt. Hiei) noticed Rennyo's successes in the provinces around Kyoto. In 1465, Mt. Hiei sent a band of sōhei
Sohei
were Buddhist warrior monks of feudal Japan. At certain points of history they held considerable power, obliging the imperial and military governments to collaborate....
(warrior monks) to the Honganji and destroyed the entire temple complex. The attacks were justified by claims that the Jōdo Shinshū movement was heretical. The actual motivation for these attacks was financial. Mt. Hiei had significant interests in Ōmi Province that included properties and businesses, and they felt they needed to prevent Jōdo Shinshū's growth before they felt the economic effects. However, due to the wealth of the congregations Rennyo had converted in the area, enough money was raised to bribe the Mt. Hiei warriors in exchange for peace. The contingency to this was that Honganji must become a member of Mt. Hiei's temples, thus entering them into yearly dues they had to pay Mt. Hiei. Rennyo was very nervous during this period, for just when Honganji was at the pinnacle of uniting the disbanded factions of Shinran
Shinran
was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino at the turbulent close of the Heian Period and lived during the Kamakura Period...
, Mt. Hiei reduced the Ōmi temple to rubble.
The years immediately following the attack of 1465 forced Rennyo to live a nomadic life. It was not until the Yamashina Mido
Yamashina Mido
Yamashina Mido, also known as Yamashina Hongan-ji , was a Buddhist temple in Kyoto which was used as a fortress by the Ikkō-ikki, an organization of warrior monks and lay zealots who opposed samurai rule.-History:...
temple in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
was built in 1480 that he would be able to take permanent residence again. All of this was occurring at the height of the Ōnin War
Onin War
The ' was a civil war that lasted 10 years during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
in Japan, making security ever more an issue for Rennyo. He could not depend on any outside forces to protect his congregations. None of this stopped Rennyo's mission, as he continued to amass more converts in new areas such as Settsu Province
Settsu Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises the eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province.-History:...
and Yoshino Province
Yoshino Province
thumb|250px|right|Location of Yoshino Province c. 716. was a short-lived special division of the provinces of Japan, a part of Kinai. It was composed of only one district, . Its present day location is the southern part of Nara Prefecture....
. In 1469 he would make a trip to the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
, where he found the Shinshu orders there open to his new and refreshing teachings. This was despite the fact that Senjuji dominated the region. When pondering where to rebuild Honganji, Rennyo made a pivotal move and decided to build it as far away from the influence of Mt. Hiei as possible.
Honganji Rebuilds
Rennyo decided to rebuild Honganji in Echizen ProvinceEchizen Province
was an old province of Japan, which is today the northern part of Fukui Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Etchū and Echigo Provinces.Echizen is famous for washi . A text dated AD 774 mentions the washi made in this area. Echizen-produced Washi is still the most commonly sold traditional...
(present-day Fukui Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
), a remote area that showed a lot of promise as it was near a coastal route. Once established the place flourished and adherents from surrounding provinces came to hear Rennyo speak. The congregation became so big that along the way to the new Honganji there were hundreds of lodges set up and run by Shinshū priests to lodge the travelers. By 1475, Rennyo returned to the Kyoto provinces with such a following that Mt. Hiei could no longer pose a credible threat to Jōdo Shinshū again. Rennyo had secured such status in the Jōdo Shinshū ranks that he had to begin issuing pastoral letters (or, ofumi) in place of appearances to congregations.
During this time, Rennyo established a new form of liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
(gongyō), incorporating elements that would eventually become the core of Honganji Jōdo Shinshū 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...
. He also rewrote many Buddhist texts into kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
, the simple, phonetic Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
characters, making the texts more accessible for the common person. In 1496, Rennyo sought solitude and retired to a rural area at the mouth of the Yodo River, where he built a small hermitage. The area was known for its "long slope," or "Ō-saka" (大阪) in Japanese. Contemporary documents about Rennyo's life and his hermitage were thus the first to refer to this place by the name Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Rennyo's isolation did not last long, however; his hermitage grew quickly into a temple and surrounding temple town (jinaimachi) as devotees gathered to pay him homage and to hear his teachings. By the time of Rennyo's death three years later (in 1499), the complex had come to be known as the Ishiyama Honganji, and was close to the final shape which would prove to be the greatest fortified temple in Japanese history.
Meanwhile, the broader Ikkō movement, being based on the power of commoners, governed itself, and grew of its own accord, growing in influence in Kaga
Kaga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .Ruled by the Maeda clan, the capital of Kaga was Kanazawa. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces...
and Echizen Provinces, and becoming increasingly resentful of the control of the secular authorities. In 1488, they drove out the Constable of Kaga, a daimyo by the name of Togashi, and effectively took control of the entire province. The Ikkō-ikki then went on to defeat the Asakura clan
Asakura clan
The ' are descendants of Prince Kusakabe , son of Emperor Temmu .The family was a line of daimyō which, along with the Azai clan, opposed Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century...
warriors from Echizen, who had been sent by the shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
to stop them.
Writings
Rennyo Shonin was the author of several works relating to Jōdo ShinshūJodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
doctrine. His most influential work is his collection of letters to various Shin monto (lay groups), popularly known as in the Nishi Honganji, and Ofumi in the Higashi Honganji. These letters have the status of scriptural texts and are traditionally used in Shinshu daily liturgy; the most well-known letter is the which is a reflection on the impermanence of life and the importance of relying on Amida Buddha's Vow. This letter is frequently read aloud during Jōdo Shinshū funeral services.
Rennyo's disciples also recorded things he said in a collection called the , which provides later followers with some insight into his personality and beliefs.
Legacy
Such was Rennyo's importance in reviving Shinran's teachings that he is revered by devotees as the 'second founder' of the Jōdo Shinshū tradition. At the same time, however, there is ongoing debate amongst sectarian scholars as to whether Rennyo's legacy was good for the Jōdo Shinshū or not. On the one hand Rennyo gave the disorganized Shinshū movement a coherent structure, translated Shinran's teachings into simpler language, and developed a common liturgy. On the other hand the process of institutionalisation which Rennyo accelerated arguably damaged Shinshū's egalitarian origins and led to a disjunction between priest-scholars and lay-devotees contrary to Shinran's intention. Furthermore Rennyo introduced certain doctrinal elements of the rival SeizanSeizan
Seizan is the name of the branch of Jōdo shū Buddhism that was founded by Hōnen's disciple, Shōkū. Shōkū often went by the name Seizan as well, however the name derives from the western mountains of Kyoto where Shōkū often dwelt. The main temple of this branch of Buddhism is at the temple of...
Jōdo Shū tradition into the Shinshū, and tolerated Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
belief to a greater extent than Shinran. Ultimately though, such debates are moot, as without Rennyo's efforts the Shinshū would almost certainly have fragmented and been absorbed by other sects.
His 500th memorial service was observed in 1998.
(- see Dobbins & Rogers references below.)