Who was this person?
An eminent monk of Tang China who crossed the sea to bring proper Buddhist precepts to Japan. After five failed voyages, during which he is said to have lost his sight, he finally arrived on the sixth attempt in 753. He set up an ordination platform at Tōdai-ji and later founded Tōshōdai-ji.
| Name | Ganjin (Jianzhen) (鑑真) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 688 – 763 |
| Period | Nara period |
| Birthplace | Yangzhou, Tang China (now Jiangsu, China) |
| Also known as | Kakai Daishi |
| Main achievements |
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Born in Yangzhou, Tang China (now Jiangsu). His father is said to have been a devout Buddhist.
At 13, moved by a Buddha image he saw at a temple with his father, he asked to become a monk, it is said, and entered Dayun Temple in Yangzhou.
In the capital Chang'an he received full ordination and studied the monastic precepts in depth.
Returning to Yangzhou, he taught the precepts at Daming Temple and elsewhere. He is said to have ordained over forty thousand people and became a famed Vinaya master.
The Japanese monks Yōei and Fushō asked for a master to bring the precepts to Japan, which lacked monks able to ordain properly. When his disciples hesitated, fearing the sea, Ganjin said, "If no one will go, I will."
He began preparing the voyage, but an informer had the ship seized. The next attempt ended in shipwreck; failure followed failure.
On the fifth attempt a storm drove the ship far south to Hainan Island.
On the long journey back to Yangzhou, his companion Yōei died of illness, and Ganjin himself is said to have lost his sight around this time (debated). Still his resolve did not waver.
He secretly boarded a returning Japanese embassy ship and, on the sixth attempt, reached Satsuma (Kagoshima). Eleven years had passed since the first request; he was 65.
Entering Heijō-kyō, he set up an ordination platform before the Great Buddha Hall of Tōdai-ji and gave the precepts to retired Emperor Shōmu, Empress Dowager Kōmyō, Empress Kōken and others—Japan's first formal ordinations.
On land granted by the court he founded Tōshōdai-ji and trained his disciples. He is also said to have passed on knowledge of medicine.
He died peacefully at 75, seated and facing west, it is said. The statue of Ganjin made by his disciple Ninki and others survives at Tōshōdai-ji.
A. An eminent monk of Tang China who crossed the sea to bring proper Buddhist precepts to Japan. After five failed voyages, during which he is said to have lost his sight, he finally arrived on the sixth attempt in 753. He set up an ordination platform at Tōdai-ji and later founded Tōshōdai-ji.
A. Period: Nara period. Born in 688, died in 763.
A. Ganjin (Jianzhen) was born in Yangzhou, Tang China (now Jiangsu, China).
A. On the sixth. He began trying around 743, but official obstruction and storms defeated five attempts; in 753 he finally landed in Satsuma (now Kagoshima).
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
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Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.