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Spread of Zen Buddhism in Japan

Type Object Region Japan Time c. 1168

Song-style Zen transmitted to Japan via monks, the shogunate, and temple networks, forming independent schools;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1150–1168Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei · Shiga PrefectureEisai came from the Tendai lineage of Enryaku-ji; in the late Heian period Japanese Buddhism was characterized by esoteric Buddhism and Vinaya reform running in parallel, providing temple networks and motivation for seeking dharma that later enabled the introduction of Song-style Rinzai Zen.
  2. c. 1180–1190Lin'an (Hangzhou) · Zhejiang ProvinceIn the 1180s Eisai continued studying Rinzai Zen in the Southern Song, bringing back scriptures and tea seeds; around 1187 he visited famous monasteries such as Tiantong Mountain, accumulating teachers, texts, and institutional models for founding Japan's Rinzai school after his return in 1191.
  3. 1191–1250Kamakura · Kanagawa PrefectureAfter returning in 1191, Eisai founded Jufuku-ji in Kamakura and Kennin-ji in Kyoto, formally establishing Japan's Rinzai school; Zen subsequently gained shogunate support, combining with samurai ethics, Zen monks' diplomacy, and artistic practice to become one of Japan's mainstream schools.

Sources