Summary

Ryōgen (912–985) was a Japanese Buddhist monk and the eighteenth abbot (zasu) of Enryakuji, the head temple of the Japanese Tendai school established by Saichō (767–822). Ryōgen first gained fame as a scholar monk and later as abbot became a skilled administrator. During his tenure (966–985) he rebuilt the vast monastic complex on the mountain, rekindled priests’ interest in the study of Tendai doctrine, and restored the clerical order by initiating institutional reforms. Ryōgen achieved the highest monastic title of great archbishop (daisōjō) in 981. Although Ryōgen’s policies heightened tensions between the Enchin and Ennin factions of Enryakuji, eventually resulting in the Sanmon-JImon schism, he is remembered as the second founder of Mount Hiei due to his efforts to revitalize the school.

Ryōgen received the posthumous name “Jie” and is known as the Great Master Jie (Jie Daishi). His major disciples include Jinzen (943–990), Genshin (942–1017), Kakuun (953–1007), and Kakuchō (960–1034). However, Ryōgen was famed not only for his efforts as a teacher and administrator but was also re-imaged as a powerful spiritual being. Statues or portraits of Ryōgen were enshrined at major Tendai temples of the sanmon-ha for protection. Woodcut prints of Ryōgen’s image, such as mamedaishi (thirty-three small figures of Ryōgen) or tsunodaishi (a stylized image of Ryōgen with two horns on his head), also circulated as popular talismans as early as the Kamakura period, to be posted at entrance gates or doors to ward off evil spirits. It is largely due to these latter beliefs that Ryōgen has remained a popular figure both within the Tendai School and in the popular imagination.