Hōnen in the context of "Jōdo Shinshū"

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.

Jōdo-shū (浄土宗, "The Pure Land School") is a Japanese branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Kamakura era monk Hōnen (1133–1212). The school is traditionally considered as having been established in 1175 and is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, along with Jōdo Shinshū. There are various branches of Jōdo-shū, which the largest and most influential ones being Chinzei-ha and Seizan-ha.

Jōdo-shū Buddhism focuses exclusively on devotion to Amitābha Buddha (Amida Nyorai), and its practice is focused on the Nembutsu (recitation of Amitābha’s name). As in other forms of Pure Land Buddhism, adherents believe that the faithful recitation of the phrase "Namu Amida Butsu" (Homage to Amida Buddha) results in birth in the pure land of Sukhavati.

Shinran (親鸞; Japanese pronunciation: [ɕiꜜn.ɾaɴ], May 21, 1173 – January 16, 1263) was a key Japanese Buddhist figure of the Kamakura Period who is regarded as the founder of the Jōdo Shinshū school of Japanese Buddhism. A pupil of Hōnen, the founder of the Japanese Pure Land movement, Shinran articulated a distinctive Pure Land vision that emphasized faith and absolute reliance on Amida Buddha’s other-power.

While Shinran trained as a Tendai monk on Mount Hiei, he lived much of his life as a married Buddhist teacher unlike other Kamakura Buddhist reformers, and he described himself as "neither monk nor layman". Shinran's major work, the Kyōgyōshinshō (Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Realization), is a systematic exposition and defense of Pure Land doctrine. Shinran taught that liberation arises from the entrusting mind (shinjin) awakened through Amida's compassionate power, not from any merit or power of one's own. His interpretation profoundly reshaped the course of Japanese Buddhism and continues to influence East Asian religious thought.

Chion-in (知恩院, Monastery of Gratitude) in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) founded by Hōnen (1133–1212), who proclaimed that sentient beings are reborn in Amida Buddha's Western Paradise (Pure Land) by reciting the nembutsu, Amida Buddha's name.

The vast compounds of Chion-in include the site where Hōnen settled to disseminate his teachings and the site where he died.

Seizan (西山; West Mountain) is a branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo-shū) that was founded by Hōnen's disciple, Shōkū (1177–1247), who often went by the name Seizan. The name derives from the western mountains of Kyoto where Shōkū often dwelt. Seizan Jōdo-shū emphasizes the single-minded recitation of the nembutsu (念仏, "Namu Amida Butsu") as the actualization of the non-duality of Amida Buddha and sentient beings, while also incorporating some influence of Tendai and Shingon Buddhism.

There currently three main sub-branches of the Seizan school, each with its own head temple: Seizan Jōdo-shū (Kōmyō-ji temple), Seizan Zenrin-ji-ha (Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji temple), and Seizan Fukakusa-ha (Seigan-ji temple).

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.