In Fenglin, members of the Buddhist Sect were allowed to marry and have children.0

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.0

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.0

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...0