Hongan-ji

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Hongan-ji is the largest school of the Jōdo Shinshū branch of Buddhism in Japan, and it has two big temples in Kyoto: Nishi Hongan-ji (Western) and Higashi Hongan-ji (Eastern). The name can also refer to temple buildings of the sect.

The school began as a temple in 1321 at Higashi Otani, where Shinran, the founder of Jōdo Shinshū, is buried. Shinran’s family stayed connected to the temple, and Shinran’s descendant Kakunyo became its first chief priest, or monshu, and dedicated the temple to Amitābha (Amida).

Hongan-ji rose to power in the 1400s under Rennyo, its eighth monshu. The Tendai sect, based on Mount Hiei, saw this growth as a threat and attacked the Hongan-ji three times with warrior monks. Rennyo fled to Yoshizaki-gobō and later rebuilt.

In the Sengoku period, the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga tried to destroy the Hongan-ji and its allied groups. He besieged Ishiyama Hongan-ji in Osaka for ten years, and the fortress burned. Nobunaga’s death led to changes in the temple’s status and land grants, and the temple’s influence continued to grow in Kyoto and Osaka.

In 1603, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s rise to power, the Hongan-ji family was rewarded with land for a temple to the east of Nishi Hongan-ji. This eastern temple became Higashi Hongan-ji. In 1619 the government officially recognized Nishi and Higashi Hongan-ji as two separate congregations. People often think the split happened just to control the order, but the history is more complex.

Today, the two branches have different histories. Nishi Hongan-ji is the larger, more globally connected branch, with many overseas temples in the Americas, Hawaii, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere. It runs the Hongwanji International Center and a publishing house, and maintains a large cultural and educational presence.

Higashi Hongan-ji, also known as Shinshū Honbyō (Shinshū Mausoleum) after a 1987 rename, is the other major branch. It has seen internal disagreements and new offshoots, such as Higashiyama Hongan-ji in Kyoto and the Tokyo Higashi Hongan-ji. Despite disputes, Higashi Hongan-ji has produced many influential Buddhist thinkers.

The two temples are known for their grand halls and gardens. Higashi Hongan-ji features the Goei-dō (Founder's Hall Gate) and a large wooden Mie-dō hall, while Nishi Hongan-ji houses the Amitābha hall, the large Kaisando, the white and black study halls, and a medieval shogun-era complex with several notable buildings, including Hiunkaku and the虎渓の庭 garden. Parts of Nishi Hongan-ji have become Ryukoku University and Kōshō-ji.

Today the Hongan-ji movement has millions of members, with the Ōtani-ha (the largest group within Higashi Hongan-ji) numbering in the millions. Some members have participated in social and political actions, such as protests related to the Yasukuni Shrine and opposition to the 2003 Iraq War. The Shinshū Honbyō mausoleum remains a landmark and is often referred to by Kyoto locals as Higashi Hongan-ji.