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Risshū (律宗), alsoRitsu-shu, is one of thesix schools of Nara Buddhism in Japan, noted for its use of theVinaya textual framework of theDharmaguptaka, one of the early schools of Buddhism;Risshū is the Japanese term for Vinaya.[1]
The Ritsu school was formally established in China during theTang dynasty byDaoxuan, founder of the Nanshan Vinaya school.[2] Daoxuan completed the scholastic system of Vinaya studies with hisCommentary on the Four-Part Vinaya (四分律行事鈔). He belonged to the lineage ofHuiguang (468–537), a disciple of theDilun school, and trained prominent monks such as Wengang, Zhuxiu, Daoshi, and Hongjing.
The school was transmitted to Japan by the blind Chinese priestJianzhen, better known by his Japanese nameGanjin, in753 after multiple failed voyages. At the request of Japanese monks, he brought theFour-Part Vinaya (四分律 (Shibunritsu)), establishing an ordination platform atTōdai-ji where he ordained the Retired EmperorShōmu and EmpressKōken, among others. He later foundedTōshōdai-ji inNara, which became the head temple of the sect.[2]
Although the Vinaya had been introduced to Japan at an early stage, the teachings were fragmentary and understood only within a few temples. Formal ordination ceremonies were not conducted until the arrival ofJianzhen (Ganjin), whose transmission marked the first full ordinations in Japan. He re-ordained monks who had previously received what were considered unorthodox initiations.[3]
During theHeian period, however, leading figures such asSaichō andKūkai did not support the Risshū. Saichō established an independent ordination platform atEnryaku-ji, while Kūkai emphasized theShisong lü (Ten Recitations Vinaya) but still conducted ordinations at Tōdai-ji. This diversity of approaches led to fragmentation, and over time ordination came to be regarded more as a bureaucratic step for becoming anofficial monk rather than a meaningful spiritual practice.[2]
From the late Heian into theKamakura period, reform-minded monks such asJitsuhan andMyōe called for a revival of the Vinaya. In 1236,Kakujō,Yūgon,Ensei, andEison carried out self-ordination ceremonies independent of state control. Kakujō restoredTōshōdai-ji as a center of the Risshū, while Eison founded theShingon Risshu atSaidai-ji, drawing on theShisong lü (十誦律). Around the same time,Shunjō ofSennyū-ji returned from the Southern Song dynasty with a new Vinaya lineage, later known as the “Beijing Vinaya.”
These developments gave rise to three coexisting branches: the Tōshōdai-ji lineage, the Saidai-ji Shingon Vinaya, and Shunjō’s Beijing Vinaya. Collectively referred to as the “New Vinaya” (新義律), they were distinguished from the older tradition, or “Old Vinaya” (古義律). Through their debates and exchanges, Vinaya practice in Japan deepened and gained new vitality. In the medieval period, the combination of Zen and Vinaya practice, known as "Zen-Vinaya" (禅律), was held in high regard. Yet during theMuromachi period, the Risshū once again declined under the dominance ofZen Buddhism. In theEdo period, however, monks such asMeinin,Yūson,Keiun Ryōkai,Tokumon Fujaku, andShinshun spearheaded renewed efforts to restore the Vinaya.[3]
In the earlyMeiji period, government reforms absorbed most Risshū temples intoShingon Buddhism, with the sole exception ofTōshōdai-ji, which resisted incorporation. In 1900 (Meiji 33), the Risshū regained recognition as an independent sect.[3] Today,Tōshōdai-ji continues to serve as the head temple of the tradition.
The Risshū emphasized the primacy of the Vinaya and rejectedTendai interpretations that subordinated monastic precepts to theLotus Sutra.[4]
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