. He managed to visit
China twice. The second time, he was trained in Zen and was given official transmission of the doctrine which gave him authority to teach Zen. Eisai returned to
Japan in 1191 and began to teach Zen. He encountered resistance from the established sects in
Kyoto, and in 1195 received an edict prohibiting the dissemination of Zen teachings. In 1199, Eisai moved to
Kamakura, the center of samurai power. He found a much more receptive audience in
Kamakura than he had in
Kyoto. Barred from concentrating on Zen, Eisai taught both Zen and esoteric Tendai Buddhism.
Although Eisai did not teach a pure form of Zen, he succeeded in arousing the interest in Zen, both in several young monks and in the samurai leaders. In the subsequent century, several young monks travelled to China and studied Zen there, returning to Japan to disseminate their new knowledge. Also, several Chinese Zen masters came to Japan and taught Zen. Eventually, a pure form of Zen was accepted in Japan. Zen's main supporters were the samurai. However, all this happened after the twelfth century. Just the very beginnings of an interest in Zen were kindled by Eisai in the twelfth century.
Conclusion
The twelfth century saw the beginning of radical changes in Buddhist Japan. For the first time, there was a major move to bring Buddhism to the masses. Buddhism was about to become the religion of the vast majority of the Japanese people. Also for the first time, sects appeared which disseminated one and only one practice, instead of the eclectic hodgepodge of practices offered by the older traditions. State control over religious practice showed some signs of diminishing. Buddhism began the twelfth century bogged down by institutional corruption and worldliness. By the end of the century, two exciting, sincere, young sects had begun to poke their heads into Japan. A third was soon to follow. Like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, the descent of Heian Buddhism led to the spectacular arising of the Kamakura Buddhist sects.
1 John Stevens, The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei, (Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1988), p. 35 2 Yuzu Nembutsushu was revived in 1321 and still exists today, having over 350 branch temples.
