Eison

Eison (; courtesy name: Shien 思円; posthumous title: Kōshō Bosatsu 興正菩薩; 1201–1290) was a Japanese Buddhist monk active in the mid-Kamakura period. He founded the Shingon Risshu (Shingon Vinaya school). Eison was born in Mikata village, Soejō District, Yamato Province (present-day Yamatokōriyama, Nara), the son of the scholar-monk Keigen of Kōfuku-ji. He is regarded as one of the representative figures of Kamakura Buddhism, known for reviving the neglected Buddhist precepts and restoring the declining Saidai-ji in Nara.

== Biography == Eison entered religious training at age eleven, studying initially at Daigo-ji and later at Kongōbu-ji. 1217 (Kenpō 5) – Became a disciple of Ajari Eken at Daigo-ji and took ordination. 1224 (Gennin 1) – Studied Shingon esoteric teachings at Mount Kōya. 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 at Tōdai-ji due to the absence of precept masters. 1238 (Ryaku'nin 1) – Returned to Saidai-ji, began its restoration, and reestablished ritual boundaries. 1240–1246 – Conducted Mañjuśrī services, lectured on the Brahmajāla Sūtra, and administered precepts to laypeople, prisoners, and outcasts. 1247 – Commissioned sculptor Zen’en to create an image of Ācala. 1249 – Commissioned sculptor Zenkei to carve a Shakyamuni image for Saidai-ji. 1254 – Wrote the Shōtoku Taishi kōshiki and initiated annual rites for Prince Shōtoku. 1260–1262 – Invited to Kamakura by Hōjō Tokiyori, ordained many, and lectured on the Vinaya. His disciple Shōkai recorded this journey in the Kantō Ōkan-ki. 1264 onward – Introduced the Kōmyō Shingon; expanded charitable work. 1268–1274 – Oversaw the reconstruction of Hannya-ji, and performed state-protection esoteric rites during the Mongol invasions. 1279–1286 – Ordained emperors, aristocrats, and commoners; commissioned his own portrait statue (designated a National Treasure in 2016). 1284–1286 – Directed the rebuilding of Uji Bridge, banned killing in the river, and provided alternative work for fishermen. 1290 (Shōō 3) – Died at Saidai-ji on September 29, 1290. In 1300, Emperor Fushimi granted him the posthumous title Kōshō Bosatsu.