The History of the Honganji Temple

Summary:

As the Honganji Temple had held different and unique beliefs surrounding the Buddhist doctrines, it caused tension with other temples, leading to various uprisings even though the Honganji Temple strove to gain acceptance peacefully. This came to a head during the Ishiyama Honganji War, when feudal lord Oda Nobunaga forced the surrender of the Honganji Temple. A few years after the end of the war, Honganji Temple split into East and West branches.

Faith and Fighting

Rennyo was the 8th head priest of Honganji Temple, and was appointed at the age of 42. The belief of the sect is that followers will be invited to The Pure Land (heaven) by Amida Buddha upon their passing. It does not require prayer, meditation, or any particular lifestyle changes. It only asks that followers understand their imperfection, and give gratitude to Amida Buddha frequently, knowing that they will be invited to join The Pure Land. This gratitude exists in the form of a short chant “namu amida butsu” (praise Amida Buddha), and scrolls containing the chant were distributed among followers. Because of these new and different forms of practice, many temples of other sects sought to overthrow them, considering them heretics. Despite this, the continued efforts of Rennyo and his sons saw the Honganji Temple become one of Japan’s most influential and powerful sects.　

In his early years as head priest, Rennyo was focused on the area of Ōmi (Shiga Prefecture), and his easy-to-understand and down-to-earth preaching style accumulated a large number of followers. Later, after he fled to Yoshizaki in Fukui Prefecture, Rennyo continued to accumulate a huge number of followers in the area. In 1473 he sided with Togashi Masachika who overtook the Kaga area, making many officials in Kyoto and surrounding areas question Rennyo’s motives, with some even accusing him of heresy. 

However, Rennyo was ultimately against war, and struggled to find a balance between protecting his followers from harm, whilst also correcting wrong views and behaviors that had arisen during the beginnings of the Kaga Ikko Ikki. Unable to stand the volatile political situation leading up to the uprising, he returned to Kyoto, relying on his sons to continue preaching in the Hokuriku area. In Kyoto, Rennyo continued to work on establishing a new form of public worship that would follow the teachings of Shinran, the 1st head priest of Honganji Temple, while attempting to overcome some of the issues that had arisen in the sect.　

Pictured in Exhibition:

(Bottom left) “Kōmyō Honzon” – A mandala-style picture with the chant of Amida Buddha in the middle, surrounded by statues of Buddhas and head priests who spread Jōdo Shinshū. The original picture is an Important Cultural Property of Ishikawa Prefecture.
(Top left) Jitsunyo – The 9th Head Priest of Honganji Temple
(Top middle-left) Shōnyo – The 10th Head Priest of Honganji Temple
(Top middle-right) Kennyo – The 11th Head Priest of Honganji Temple
(Top right) Kyōnyo – The 12th Head Priest of East Honganji Temple
(Right) Scroll – This scroll contains the 6 characters that represent the chant “namu amida butsu” (praise Amida Buddha), which is frequently spoken by followers to remind themselves of the grace of Amida Buddha. 

The Succession of Honganji Temple and the Ikko Ikki

After Rennyo, the Honganji Temple was succeeded by Jitsunyo the 9th, Shōnyo the 10th, and Kennyo the 11th. In the generations following Kennyo, the Honganji Temple was split into the East Honganji Temple, headed by Kyōnyo the 12th, and the West Honganji Temple, headed by Junnyo the 12th.

Throughout the Warring States Period, and during the continuation of the Kaga Ikko Ikki, the head priests of the Honganji Temple strove to protect the Buddhist doctrines despite the many uprisings during their time in power. Rennyo (8th) was involved with the Bunmei Uprising (1474; Rennyo assists Masachika in taking over Kaga), and Chōkyō Uprising (Rennyo’s followers overtake Masachika). Jitsunyo (9th) was involved with the Eishō Disturbance (an uprising in Kanto and Hokuriku). Shōnyo (10th) was involved in the Kyōroku Disturbance, which led to the establishment of the Kanazawa Gobō Temple. Then, Kennyo (11th) was involved in the Ishiyama Honganji War (war against Honganji Temple by Oda Nobunaga). 

The Ishiyama Honganji War (1570 - 1580)

At the time, Honganji Temple was based in modern day Osaka. Oda Nobunaga, a powerful feudal lord, had a vision to unify Japan under military rule, but the Honganji Temple, which had collected immense power and control over the area, was one of the main forces preventing him from succeeding in his goal. 

At the time Kennyo, the 11th head priest, was receiving repeated demands from Nobunaga. At first, he followed the demands, but as they grew in number he began to feel the position of Honganji Temple was being undermined. When the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki urged Kennyo to destroy Nobunaga, the temple decided to fight back. Kennyo began sending out letters, or rather demands, telling followers from Kyūshū to Tōhoku to “defeat Nobunaga, the enemy of Buddhism” among others. 

There are about 70 or so letters known today, that were distributed from Chikugo in the south to Musashi in the north. The letters were most abundant during the start of the battle, and from 1575 to 1578. 

However, by 1580 the forces of Honganji Temple were weakening, and when Oda Nobunaga sent a petition of surrender, fearing a massacre of his followers, Kennyo took the offer. In the agreement, the Honganji Temple would preach peace under the Emperor, Kennyo and his followers would leave the temple, and Oda Nobunaga would return the southern Kaga districts to them. 

Kennyo’s son, Kyōnyo, continued to remain in Ishiyama Honganji Temple in resistance. During this time Kyōnyo wrote about 100 letters of demand to his followers, mostly from 1580 to 1581. While he officially surrendered later that year and left the temple, after a request by the Emperor, independent resistances later stormed the temple, causing a fire that destroyed the fortress. 

Map of Where Letters Were Sent

Letters of demand sent by Kennyo and Kyōnyo show large overlap in certain areas, with Kyōnyo showing particular focus on the Tōkai and Hokuriku regions. 

Map Legend: 

　Pink: Number of letters sent by Kennyo

　Blue: Number of letters sent by Kyōnyo

　Green: Regions that donated to the Honganji Temple

The End of Honganji Temple and the Warring States Period

In 1582, two year after the Ishiyama Honganji Temple fortress burned down, Oda Nobunaga was ambushed by one of his retainers, and committed seppuku ritual suicide. He was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of his close supporters, who went on to conquer all of Japan. 

Kennyo, despite his exile, was set on reconstructing the temple and continuing the sect. He enlisted his followers nationwide to support Hideyoshi is his endeavors, in order to gain his favor. His mission succeeded, and in 1583 Kennyo was granted land in Kyoto to rebuild the temple. 

Kennyo then passed away in 1592, and his first son Kyōnyo took over as head priest. Upon his succession, Kyōnyo immediately sacked all members who had been of assistance to Kennyo, and instead hired the people who had been faithful to him during his year of resistance in the Ishiyama Honganji Temple. This caused conflict within the sect, and in 1593, a letter supposedly written by Kennyo was discovered, which stated his wish for his second son Junnyo to become the next head priest. Kyōnyo was forced to resign and give his position to his younger brother Junnyo. 

Despite this, many people remained loyal to Kyōnyo due to his efforts in the resistance, and in 1602 he was awarded land to the east of Honganji Temple, where he built his own temple. This caused a split in the sect, with the East Honganji Temple being led by Kyōnyo, and the West Honganji Temple being led by Junnyo. 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was later succeeded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who formed the Tokugawa Shōgunate – a military government that would control all of Japan. This marked the end of the Warring States Period, and the beginning of the Edo Period, which continued from 1603 to 1868, and marked a period of peace and stability in Japanese history.