The vast tradition of Buddhism is characterized as having 84,000 teachings. Not only is the Chinese Buddhist canon comprised of over five thousand volumes of scriptures, but it is also said that the number of buddhas equals the number of grains of sand of the Ganges River. In order to articulate the teachings and orthodoxy that defined their beliefs and practices, individual schools sought to identify sets of three principal scriptures and a particular lineage of doctrinal transmission stretching from the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni to the present.
This section introduces the central buddha of Shin Buddhism, the Buddha Amida (Skt: Amitābha, Buddha of Infinite Light; also known as Amitāyus, Buddha of Infinite Life), and the foundation of its teaching in the three Pure Land sutras that focus on this buddha—the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (J: Muryōju kyō), the Sutra on the Contemplation of the Buddha of Infinite Life (J: Kanmuryōju kyō), and the Amitābha Sutra (J: Amida kyō). Also examined here is the lineage that Shinran established through the Seven Pure Land Patriarchs. These are identified as the Indian thinkers Nāgārjuna (ca. 2nd–3rd century) and Vasubandhu (ca. 5th century); the Chinese scholar monks Tanluan (476–542), Daochuo (562–645), and Shandao (613–681); and the Japanese priests Genshin (942–1017) and Hōnen (Genkū, 1133–1212). Shinran revered these seven figures, instructing: “Only believe in the teachings of these masters.”

Embroidered Amida (Amitābha) Buddha
Jōshō-ji Temple, Fukui
[on view: March 25–April 23, 2023]

National Treasure
Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra (J: Kanmuryōju kyō chū)
By Shinran
Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple, Kyoto
[on view: March 25–April 30, 2023]

Shinran authored many doctrinal texts that preserve his teachings, but he did not share much about his own life. His teachings, however, inspired devotion in many, and after his death several biographies were composed by Shinran’s devoted followers.
This section traces the ninety years of Shinran’s life through biographies in illustrated handscroll format, the earliest of which was compiled by his great grandson Kakunyo (1270–1351) in 1295, thirty-three years after Shinran’s death. These scrolls cover the founder’s birth, his ordination at age nine, his encounter with his teacher Hōnen, his exile to Echigo due to the suppression of Hōnen’s nenbutsu movement, his death on return to Kyoto, and the building of the Ōtani Mausoleum at the site of his grave. Also featured here are objects associated with his life that appear in these biographies.

Seated Portrait of Master Shinran
Senju-ji Temple, Mie
[on view: March 25–April 16, 2023]

Important Cultural Property
Illustrated Biography of the Master of Hongan-ji Temple [Shinran] (J: Honganji Shōnin denne), Kōei Version, Volume II-2
Inscribed by Kakunyo, illustrated by Sōshun
Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, Kyoto
[on view: May 2–21, 2023]

Section 6 of the Lamentations on Divergence (Tannishō), a record of Shinran’s words chronicled by his disciple Yuien (ca. 13th century), recounts that Shinran once said, “I do not have a single disciple.” This statement expresses the founder’s realization that Amida Buddha responds to those who practice the nenbutsu (the recitation of Amida Buddha’s name), making them the disciples of Amida Buddha. In fact, Shinran had many followers, primarily in the Kanto region, who formed branches of his lineage to propagate his teaching throughout Japan.
This section visualizes the spread of Shinran’s teachings through portraits and other images of his disciples. Highlighted here are seated sculptures depicting prominent disciples such as Shōshin, Kenchi, and Ryōkai; images that portray the lineage of succession from Shinran, including portraits of Pure Land masters seated in rows and illustrated succession lineages; and registers of names and locations of Shinran’s disciples.

Important Cultural Property
Seated Portrait of Kenchi
Senju-ji Temple, Tochigi

At the age of twenty-nine, Shinran descended from Mount Hiei and secluded himself in Kyoto’s Rokkakudō (Hexagonal Hall). There, on the dawn of the ninety-fifth day of his retreat, Shinran was visited in a dream by the bodhisattva Kuze Kannon (the World-Saving Avalokiteśvara). This dream oracle is described in Shinran’s illustrated biographies, and Shinran’s wife, the nun Esshinni, writes of it in a letter, noting that it prompted her husband to become a disciple of the Pure Land master Hōnen.
Rokkakudō was allegedly founded by Prince Shōtoku (574–622), who is himself considered to be an incarnation of Kuze Kannon, represented in the temple hall by a sculpture of Nyoirin Kannon (Cintāmaṇicakra). Surviving records about Shinran’s dream at Rokkakudō tell us that it signified a major milestone in his life.
This section explores Shinran’s devotion to Prince Shōtoku through sculptural and painted portraits of the prince, passed down in Jōdo Shinshū temples. It also features works associated with Shinran’s dream oracle at Rokkakudō and his Japanese hymns (wasan) dedicated to Shōtoku.

Important Cultural Property
Standing Portrait of Prince Shōtoku as a Filial Son
Zenjū-ji Temple, Ibaraki
Photo courtesy of Kanagawa Prefectural Kanazawa-Bunko Museum

Shinran was active until the age of eighty-eight and devoted his life to writing so that he could pass on his teachings. His magnum opus is called The True Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Realization of the Pure Land Way (Ken jōdo shinjitsu kyōgyōshō monrui; known more commonly as Kyōgyōshinshō). The National Treasure Bandō edition of this text is the only surviving copy written in Shinran’s own hand, making it an invaluable historic manuscript. Its many revisions and annotations offer insight into Shinran’s tireless thought process in his final years. His handwriting also expresses his personality, the movements of his brush revealing his unique philosophy and character.
This section introduces the founder’s words through works brushed in his own hand or transcribed by his disciples. They include his handwritten letters to his followers in the Kanto region and his sermons recorded by his disciples. These works provide a close look at the man who continues to inspire and captivate many to this day.

National Treasure
On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Realization (J: Kyōgyōshinshō), Bandō Version
By Shinran
Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, Kyoto

Shinran’s teachings attracted and inspired many, and his disciples and followers went on to form Jōdo Shinshū branch schools throughout Japan. By the Warring States period (ca. 15th–16th centuries), the organizations and systems established by these groups had evolved into a large religious order. The temples of Shin Buddhism, in addition to passing down religious treasures directly associated with Shinran’s teachings, have also preserved numerous secular artworks.
This section presents outstanding works that have been handed down in Kyoto, primarily wall paintings that have adorned temple halls and works of calligraphy that reflect the sophisticated tastes of the capital’s court culture.

National Treasure
Anthology of Thirty-Six Poets (J: Sanjūrokunin kashū)
Poems by Mibu no Tadami (Tadami shū)
Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple, Kyoto
[on view: May 2–21, 2023]

In addition to wooden statues and paintings of Amida Buddha, another principal image of the Shin Buddhist tradition is the myōgō (Sacred Name), a religious icon comprising a written phrase in praise of Amida Buddha. Variations include the ten-character myōgō, “I take refuge in the Tathāgata of Unobstructed Light in the Ten Directions” (Kimyō Jinjippō Mugekō Nyorai), the nine-character myōgō, “I entrust myself to the Unfathomable Radiant Tathāgata” (Namu Fukashigi Kō Nyorai), the eight-character myōgō, “I entrust myself to the Unfathomable Radiant Buddha” (Namu Fukashigi Kō Butsu), and the six-character myōgō, “I entrust myself to Amitābha Buddha” (Namu Amida Butsu). These particular linguistic forms are the basis of ritual chanting of Amida Buddha’s Sacred Name, and Shinran specifically taught that the practice of reciting the nenbutsu constituted expression of the actual inner workings of Amida that actively leads people to salvation. At the heart of Shinran’s efforts over his lifetime of ninety years, through his reception of the traditions of the Seven Pure Land Patriarchs of India, China, and Japan, and through his own numerous writings, letters, and sermons, was the dissemination of this Sacred Name.
This last section on Shinran’s legacy presents examples of myōgō brushed in the founder’s own hand alongside portraits of the founder.

Six-Character Myōgō (Sacred Name of Amitābha Buddha)
By Shinran
Nishi Hongwan-ji Temple, Kyoto
[on view: May 2–14, 2023]