Established Buddhism
Another area the imperial government traditionally controlled were the Buddhist temples. Buddhism had been imported to Japan from China approximately six hundred years earlier, in the sixth century. It had been accepted by the aristocracy, although they had little understanding of its philosophies. The aristocracy viewed Buddhism as a particularly potent form of magic which could help them gain blessings. Temples were set up in the capital (which at that time was in Nara), and the religious organization was divided into six schools, each of which studied a different part of the Buddhist canon. These schools are known as the six Nara sects. The Nara schools did not try to reach anyone outside the aristocracy. Monks in the Nara schools studied the scriptures and performed rituals designed to protect the nation. The government sponsored the temples and had a large degree of control over their leadership and decision making. In the twelfth century, the Nara schools were still active and comprised an important part of Buddhism.
In the early ninth century, two other sects of Japanese Buddhism had developed. These were Tendai and Shingon. They were developed, respectively, by Saicho and Kukai, who were contemporaries. Both visited China and studied Buddhist developments there.
Kukai studied Tantrism in China. Tantrism is a form of esoteric Buddhism, in which the many of the important teachings are traditionally secret and are transmitted orally. Kukai brought Tantric Buddhism to Japan and made it into the Shingon sect. He taught that all things are a manifestation of the cosmic buddha Vairochana (called "Dainichi" in Japanese). In order to enter a realization of this oneness, one must practice the three mysteries of speech, body, and mind. In practice, this took the form of reciting spells and performing rituals. Intricate mandalas which diagram the Shingon view of the cosmos are used in meditation.
Shingon quickly gained great popularity among the aristocracy. They were attracted to the beauty and intricacy of the mandalas. They also were impressed by the spells and rituals.
Saicho, the founder of Tendai, did not originally give esoteric Tantrism preeminence his teachings. Saicho's philosophy integrates the various Mahayana teachings of esoteric ritual, Zen meditation, and the importance of the Lotus Sutra. He made room for almost every sort of Buddhist practice, feeling that they all had an essential unity, leading the practicer towards enlightenment. Saicho taught that enlightenment was possible for everyone.
Tendai, being less showy than Shingon, did not gain immediate popularity among the aristocracy. In order to gain aristocratic patronage, the early leaders of Tendai quickly learned all they could about Tantrism. Tendai soon became nearly as focused on Tantrism as was Shingon, and correspondingly gained aristocratic support.
It was vital to Shingon and Tendai to have aristocratic support, because the imperial government had almost complete control over the fortunes of the young sects. They could not ordain their own priests and monks until granted permission to do so by the imperial government. They were dependent upon the aristocracy for financial support and for the construction of temples. Once temples were built, the government could decide who would be in charge of them and what practices would be taught in them.
By the twelfth century, Shingon and Tendai had long been established as state sponsored sects. Together with the six Nara sects, they comprised official Japanese Buddhism. Each of the sects had temples which they traditionally controlled. Tendai had a major center on Mount Hiei. Shingon did not have a major center, but was spread between several temples. Temples also controlled tax exempt estates, of the type discussed above. It had become common for wealthy land owners who wished to curry favor with the government to give land to the temples. These estates were often quite extensive, and contributed significantly to the financial strength of the temples.
