orig. Matsuwaka-Maru
born 1173, near Kyōto, Japan
died Jan. 9, 1263, Kyōto
Japanese philosopher and religious reformer.
He entered the priesthood at age nine and studied for 20 years at the centre founded by Saichō on Mount Hiei. He later met Hōnen , founder of the Jōdo sect (see Pure Land Buddhism ). When Hōnen's movement was suppressed, he and Shinran were exiled. For more than 20 years, Shinran lived an academic and missionary life, compiling the six volumes of his teachings. In 1224 he established Jōdo Shinshū ("True Pure Land sect"). He refined the Pure Land teaching that salvation could be attained through chanting the name of the Buddha Amida ( Amitābha ) by saying that even one such utterance, if made with true faith, was sufficient for salvation. He advocated marriage for his priests to minimize the distance between clergy and laity. Jōdo Shinshū is the largest Buddhist denomination in modern Japan.