Honganji
Honganji is the name given to several major Buddhist temples of the Jōdo Shinshū (True Pure Land) school in Japan. The term 本願寺 (Hongan-ji) translates roughly as the Temple of the Original Vow. The most prominent Hongan-ji today are two head temples located in Kyoto: Nishi Hongan-ji (Western Hongan-ji) and Higashi Hongan-ji (Eastern Hongan-ji). Both serve as important centers of Jōdo Shinshū, a school of Shin Buddhism founded by Shinran in the 13th century.
Historically, the Hongan-ji lineage played a central role in Japanese Buddhist and political life. In the early
A separate historic site associated with the name is Ishiyama Hongan-ji, the fortress-temple founded by the
Today, Nishi Hongan-ji and Higashi Hongan-ji remain active religious centers with extensive temple complexes, libraries, and