Chapter 811: Fenglin Buddhist Sect
In Fenglin, members of the Buddhist Sect were allowed to marry and have children.
As a result, the Fenglin Buddhist Sect inevitably became a hereditary system, with the position of sect leader shifting from a master-disciple succession to a father-son inheritance.
Hongan-ji was the head temple of the Hongan-ji branch of the Jodo Shinshu Sect, the True Pure Land Buddhism in Fenglin. The sect was founded by the Monk Shinran. The original Otani Hongan-ji was burned down by monks from Enryaku-ji due to Buddhist internal conflict. After enduring numerous wars and relocations, the eighth Monshu Rennyo rebuilt it in Yamashina of Heian Capital. But once again, due to sectarian conflict, the Tendai Sect allied with the Rokkaku clan’s army to burn it to the ground.
It was not until the tenth Monshu Shonyo that the Ishiyama Hongan-ji was established in Settsu Province. Shonyo’s son, Kennyo, became the 11th Monshu, inheriting the position at the age of eleven because his father passed away early. Soon after, he fulfilled the marriage arranged for him by his late father, marrying the daughter of the Sadaijin, the Minister of the Left. He actively aligned himself with the Fenglin Court and was granted the honorary title of Gon Sojo, or Acting High Monk, effectively becoming the titular leader of the Fenglin Buddhist Sect.
Kennyo ushered in Hongan-ji’s golden age, leading numerous Ikko-Ikki uprisings organized by adherents of the Ikko Sect, which was another name for Jodo Shinshu Sect. Followers of the Ikko Sect were renowned for their loyalty and willingness to die in battle. At times, their strongholds functioned like independent states. Thus, though Kennyo was a monk, he was also regarded as a feudal lord.
The 13th generation Monshu was Kennyo’s grandson, Hinnyo, who still held the title of Gon Sojo.
When the Daoist Order arrived in Xiujing and summoned all high-ranking officials, Hinnyo, as the Acting High Monk, declined the summons with various excuses and refused to appear before the Celestial Envoy. The Central Plains Empire was known as the Celestial Empire, and the Black Robes were also known as the Celestial Soldiers.
The hostility of the Fenglin Buddhist Sect was unmistakable.
The reason did not lie in the theological differences, such as those between the Central Plains Buddhist Sect and the Western Region Buddhist Sect. It simply stemmed from the fact that the Fenglin Buddhist Sect had chosen the opposing camp.
The political structure of the Fenglin could be divided into two parts: Chancellor Toyotomi’s Office in Xiujing, which held real power, and the royal family in Heian Capital, which was a mere figurehead.
The Buddhist faction led by Monshu Hinnyo sided with the Sonno-joi faction in Heian Capital.
In truth, the recent rebellion of the local daimyos under the “Revere the Emperor” movement was essentially a call to purge the Fenglin Court of evil advisors. But Fenglin’s situation differed vastly from that of the Central Plains.