and , also known as the

Enchin (814–891) was a Japanese Buddhist monk who founded of the Jimon school of Tendai Buddhism and Chief Abbot of Mii-dera at the foot of Mount Hiei. After succeeding to the post of Tendai , in 873, a strong rivalry developed between his followers ...

and

Ennin , better known in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi (), was a priest of the Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan, and its third . Ennin was instrumental in expanding the Tendai Order's influence, and bringing back crucial training and re ...

factions, respectively, were rival branches of the

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...

sect of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

created in the 9th century and based on

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei b ...

just outside

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

. Jimon's head temple was

Mii-dera , formally called , is a Buddhist temple in Japan located at the foot of Mount Hiei, in the city of Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture. It is a short distance from both Kyoto, and Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. The head temple of the Jimon sect ...

, at the foot of

, while the Sanmon sect was based at

Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayan ...

, at the summit of the mountain. The origins of the schism began with a rivalry between the lineages of two disciples of the founder of Tendai Buddhism, Saicho, named

and

, over who would be the of Enryaku-ji temple, rather than based on differing opinions on dogma or doctrine. Following the deaths of

in 891, this rivalry only deepened, and by 923 the 18th abbot,

Ryōgen was the 18th chief abbot of Enryaku-ji in the 10th century. He is considered a restorer of the Tendai school of Mahayana Buddhism, and credited for reviving Enryaku-ji.English display at the TNM His supposed role as a precursor of the ''sōhei ...

, further enflamed this rivalry, as he sought to solidify the Ennin lineage's hold not just on Enryaku-ji, but as the sole representatives of the Tendai sect at the Imperial court. For example, in the

Ōwa Debate was a after ''Tentoku'' and before ''Kōhō.'' This period spanned the years from February 961 through July 964. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * January 20, 961 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. T ...

of 963, the Tendai side of the debate included Ryōgen and his close associates in the same lineage, despite more qualified and eminent monks from the Tendai sect being available. Subsequent conflicts were often the result of a monk from one faction becoming appointed Abbot (''zasu'') of the other faction's temple, or of one faction not being invited to events, conferences, or festivals held by the other. For example, in 981, the Imperial court appointed one Yokei (Enchin lineage) as abbot of

Hosshō-ji was a Buddhist temple in northeastern Kyoto, Japan, endowed by Emperor Shirakawa in fulfillment of a sacred vow. The temple complex was located east of the Kamo River in the Shirakawa district; and its chief architectural feature was a nine-s ...

temple, which led to a protest by the Ennin lineage. 160 monks of Ennin's lineage marched on the Chancellor's mansion threatening violence if the appointment was not rescinded. In 993, fighting broke out between the factions. Monks of the Enchin lineage were driven out of Enryaku-ji and moved down the mountain to Mii-dera forming the faction, while the monks of the Ennin lineage who remained at Enryaku-ji formed the faction. Along with other major temples in the capital, both sects formed the first standing armies of warrior monks, called ''

sōhei were Buddhist warrior monks of both classical and feudal Japan. At certain points in history, they held considerable power, obliging the imperial and military governments to collaborate. The prominence of the ''sōhei'' rose in parallel wit ...

''. When the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

broke out in 1180, the warrior monks of the two sects found themselves on opposing sides, the Enryaku-ji Sanmon monks supporting the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided ...

while Mii-dera's Jimon monks supported the

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

. Only after the end of the Genpei War and the establishment of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

did the conflicts between the two sects settle down. However, the division and disagreement lasted several centuries longer, until both temples were destroyed by the forces of Oda Nobunaga at the end of the 16th century. Though it is unclear when the names Jimon and Sanmon fell out of use, and when the two temples ceased fighting, the destruction of both temples by a greater, larger outside force brought a definite end to their quarrels.

References

{{More citations needed, date=January 2021 Tendai Religious schisms