Latter Day of the Law Mindset and
Kamakura Period Buddhism

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Toward the end of the Heian Period and the beginning of the Kamakura Period, the Japanese were heavily influenced by a mindset that heralded the onset of an evil age stained with the Five Impurities.

That age, the Latter Day of the Law, is said to have begun in 1052 CE, the two thousand and first year after Shakyamuni’s death. It was about that time that events began to threaten the world of the Japanese nobility. The fact that certain nobles were unable to obtain the favor of the Fujiwara clan regency, while samurai were beginning to wield enough power to sit with the nobility inside feudal manors, caused an end-of-the-world-like pessimism to diffuse through the nobility. Additionally, many of the larger monasteries with manors and major land holdings were embroiled in wars, and out of sheer necessity, formed their lower-ranking priests into warrior bands. This Latter Day mindset filled all levels of society with grave uncertainty and apprehension.

While society reflected signs of the Latter Day of the Law, extraordinary celestial events and natural disasters on the earth continually shook Japan and evinced feelings of cynicism and futility.

It was the Pure Land teachings that appealed to people most during these difficult times. Genshin (942-1017), also called Eshin, was a Tendai priest who formulated Pure Land doctrine during the Heian Period in such writings as “The Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land” (Ohjoh yohshu). Genshin argues that life in this world is nothing more than defilement and suffering, and that people can find relief by chanting Nam-Amida-butsu to gain rebirth in Amida Buddha’s Pure Land of Perfect Bliss.

When the Kamakura Period began in 1192, people had hoped that life would return to normal with the institution of a government under military control. However, rebellion in all quarters, earthquakes, devastating storms and other extraordinary disasters continued to lay waste to the nation, only fueling people’s apprehensions. Conditions were ripe during the Kamakura Period for the birth of a number of new Buddhist sects.

Honen (1133-1211), also called Genku, founded the Pure Land sect (Jodo-shu) in Japan and espoused the single practice of chanting the Nembutsu. His disciple Shinran (1173-1262) emphasized reliance on the absolute power of Amida when he founded the True Pure Land sect (Jodo shin-shu). Ippen (1239-1289), the founder of the Ji sect (Ji-shu), incorporated dance (odori nembutsu) in his form of Amida worship. Eison (1201-1290) revived the Ritsu sect, which extols the blessings of observing the precepts. Eisai (1141-1215), the founder of the Rinzai sect, made observance of the precepts fundamental to Rinzai Zen practice. Dogen (1200-1253), founder of the Soto Zen sect, favored the practice of continuing seated meditation over the practice of contemplation on koans favored by the Rinzai sect.

The Japanese people sought relief from their anguish in the religions cited above. However, instead of abating, internal strife and catastrophic disasters only seemed to increase. As epidemics swept across Japan, people became so desperate that they ate the remains of those who starved to death.

Below is a table of the new sects that emerged during the Kamakura Period

Nichiren Daishonin made his advent into this evil age – the Latter Day of the Law, in 1222. The Daishonin founded his Buddhism on Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo in 1253, explaining that erroneous doctrines propagated by misguided sects were contrary to the Buddha’s intent and were causing people’s misfortune. He refuted the beliefs of the various Buddhist sects by means of the Four Dictums, which state: 1) Nembutsu leads to the Hell of Incessant Suffering, 2) Zen is the work of the Devil of Heaven, 3) Shingon will destroy the nation, and 4) Ritsu is treasonous to the realm. The Daishonin’s most important writing on this issue is a work called “On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism” (Rissho ankoku-ron). In this document, he explains that if the nation is governed according to the True Law, the nation will exhibit true peace and prosperity. He also explains how people can fundamentally eliminate the roots of suffering.
Post-Kamakura Period Buddhism
 

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