Eison (叡尊 (Eison); courtesy name:Shien 思円; posthumous title:Kōshō Bosatsu 興正菩薩; 1201–1290) was aJapanese Buddhist monk active in the mid-Kamakura period. He founded theShingon Risshu (Shingon Vinaya school). Eison was born in Mikata village, Soejō District, Yamato Province (present-dayYamatokōriyama, Nara), the son of the scholar-monk Keigen ofKōfuku-ji. He is regarded as one of the representative figures ofKamakura Buddhism, known for reviving the neglectedBuddhist precepts and restoring the decliningSaidai-ji in Nara.[1]
1235 (Katei 1) – Vowed to restore the Vinaya and became a ritual monk at the Hōtō-in of Saidai-ji.
1236 (Katei 2) – Along with Kakujō, Ensei, and Ugen, performed self-ordination atTōdai-ji due to the absence of precept masters.[* 1]
1238 (Ryaku'nin 1) – Returned to Saidai-ji, began its restoration, and reestablished ritual boundaries.
1240–1246 – ConductedMañjuśrī services, lectured on theBrahmajāla Sūtra, and administered precepts to laypeople, prisoners, and outcasts.
1247 – Commissioned sculptor Zen’en to create an image ofĀcala.
1249 – Commissioned sculptor Zenkei to carve a Shakyamuni image for Saidai-ji.
1254 – Wrote theShōtoku Taishi kōshiki and initiated annual rites forPrince Shōtoku.
1260–1262 – Invited to Kamakura byHōjō Tokiyori, ordained many, and lectured on the Vinaya. His disciple Shōkai recorded this journey in theKantō Ōkan-ki.
Eison is remembered for reviving monastic precepts in Japan. He promoted devotion toPrince Shōtoku andMañjuśrī, spread esoteric practices such as theKōmyō Shingon, and engaged in extensive social work. He aided women, the poor, and those afflicted with leprosy. He was revered by all social classes, from outcasts to the imperial family and theHōjō clan regents.[4]
At age 60, he traveled to Kamakura, where he conferred precepts widely and reopened the ordination of nuns. Later, he was asked by the imperial court to assume leadership atShitennō-ji due to his neutrality.
Eison also became associated with the origin of theŌchamori tea rite, an oversizedtea ceremony tradition of Saidai-ji. In 1281, during the Mongol invasion crisis, he conducted rituals invokingAizen Myōō. Following Japan’s deliverance, he made a tea offering at theHachiman Shrine using a giant tea bowl to serve the gathered crowds—an act that became the Saidai-ji Ōchamori rite.[5]
While often celebrated for reviving the Vinaya, his true goal was reforming Shingon monasticism. He accepted certain privileges to support his charitable missions, which led to criticism from rivals such asNichiren, who called him a “Vinaya traitor” (律国賊).
Eison transmitted theDharmaguptaka Vinaya (Shibunritsu), followingGanjin and Kakujō. His discipleNinshō expanded the movement in eastern Japan with a strong emphasis on charity. At its height, Saidai-ji’s branch temples numbered over 1,500 nationwide.
^Because no legitimate preceptors remained, they resorted tojisei (self-ordination) as the only way to revive the Vinaya. (Ishida Mizumaro, “On Eison’s Precepts” in *Shōgen, Eison, Ninshō: Collected Essays on Famous Japanese Monks*, Yoshikawa Kōbunkan)
Eison; Quinter, David (2007). "Votive Text for the Construction of the Hannyaji Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva Statue: A Translation of "Hannyaji Monju Bosatsu Zō Zōryū Ganmon"".Monumenta Nipponica.62 (4):469–479.doi:10.1353/mni.2007.a230278.JSTOR25066543.(registration required)
Meeks, Lori (2009), "Vows for the Masses: Eison and the Popular Expansion of Precept-Conferral Ceremonies in Premodern Japan",Numen 56 (1), 1–43.JSTOR27643350
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