Kamakura Period - Flourishing of Buddhism

Flourishing of Buddhism

In the time of disunity and violence, deepening pessimism increased the appeal of the search for salvation. Kamakura was the age of the great popularization of Buddhism. Two new sects, Jōdo shū and Zen, dominated the period. The Mount Hiei monasteries had become politically powerful but appealed primarily to those capable of systematic study of the sect's teachings, while the Shingon sect and its esoteric ritual continued to enjoy support largely from the noble families in Kyoto. During this time, a number of monks who had left the Tendai sect founded separate Buddhist sects of their own, including

• Hōnen, founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism or Jōdo shū.
• Shinran, disciple of Hōnen and founder of Jōdo Shinshū sect.
• Ippen, founder of the Ji sect, which emphasized devotion to Amida Buddha through an ecstatic dance.
• Dōgen, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen.
• Eisai, founder of the Rinzai school of Zen.
• Nichiren, founder of the Nichiren Sect, which emphasized devotion to the Lotus Sutra itself.

The older Buddhist sects such as Shingon, Tendai and the early schools of the Nara period continued to thrive through the Kamakura period, and even experienced some measure of a revival. However, with the increasing popularity of the new Kamakura schools, the older schools partially eclipsed as the newer "Kamakura" schools found followers among the new Kamakura government, and its samurai.