Benchō (弁長; June 20, 1162 – March 16, 1238), was a Japanese Buddhist monk and religious leader who was one of the main disciples of the Pure Land founder Hōnen. Also known as Shōkō Shōnin (聖光上人) or Shōkōbō (聖光房), Benchō, is the second patriarch of the Chinzei branch of Jōdo-shū, one of the major schools of Japanese Buddhism. Benchō's missionary efforts in Kyushu, especially Chikushi, and his founding of Zendō-ji temple, led to the establishment of the Chinzei-ha (鎮西流) sect.
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👉 Benchō in the context of Chinzei
The Chinzei school (鎮西流) branch, also called the Chinzei Doctrine (鎮西義), is one of the two largest branches of Jōdo-shū Buddhism (the second being Seizan). The tradition traces itself to Benchō (a.k.a. Shōkō Shōnin), a disciple of Hōnen, but it was formally established as a separate branch by Benchō's disciple Ryōchū (良忠, 1199–1287). It is also sometimes called the Chikushi school due to its early development in the Chikushi region of Kyushu. It played a key role in shaping the doctrinal and institutional framework of Jōdo-shū, which remains one of Japan's major Buddhist traditions today.
Originally based in Kyushu where Benchō had been exiled, the sect contended with other disciples of Hōnen until it emerged into the dominant branch today. Its origins in Kyushu are also the reason for the sect's name, as Chinzei was an older name for Kyushu and was adopted by Benchō.
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