Online dictionary of history and traditions in Japan: Shingon sect

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French version

Shingon sect

真言宗
alternative words: Shingonshu sect, Shingonshu, Shingon-shu, Shingon shu, Shingon
keywords: buddhism , china , sect
related topics: Kukai , Buddhism , Esoteric Buddhism , Heian period , Kamakura period , Tendai sect
related web sites: http://www.shingon.or.jp
explanation: One of the esoteric Buddhism sects brought from China by Kukai in 806. He made it independent by founding Kongobuji temple in 816 at Mt Koya in Wakayama prefecture. As Tendai sect, it had been popular among Heian nobility but its influence declined after an emergence of new Buddhism orders in Kamakura period. During middle ages, because Dainichi (great sun) nyorai being the most important god for the sect, Amaerasu (sun godess) of shintoism was considered his avatar.