En no Gyōja

Japanese Buddhism

Schools
Hosso Kegon Ritsu Tendai Shingon Pure Land Zen Nichiren
Founders
Saichō Kūkai Hōnen Shinran Dōgen Eisai Ingen Nichiren
Sacred Texts
Avataṃsaka Sūtra Lotus Sūtra Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sūtra Infinite Life Sūtra Mahāvairocana Sūtra Vajraśekhara Sūtra
Glossary of Japanese Buddhism

En no Gyōja (役行者), or En no Ozunu (役小角), born 634, was a Japanese ascetic and mystic, traditionally held to be the founder of Shugendō,^[1] a syncretic religion incorporating aspects of Taoism, Shinto, esoteric Buddhism (especially Shingon Mikkyō and the Tendai sect) and traditional Japanese shamanism.^[2] He is venerated as a bosatsu (a bodhisattva) Jinben Daibosatsu (神変大菩薩).

Authorship of the non-canonical Sutra on the Unlimited Life of the Threefold Body is attributed to En no Gyōja. Due to his mythical status as a mountain saint, he was believed to possess many supernatural powers.

Modern references

In the historical fantasy film Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (based on the novel Teito Monogatari by Hiroshi Aramata) the antagonist Yasunori Kato claims to be a descendant of Ozunu.

In PS1 game Oni Zero: Fukkatsu, the main antagonist is En no Gyōja, the whole story of the game is based on him and the history around that era.

In Koji Suzuki's novel Ring, Shizuko Yamamura draws a statuette of En no Gyōja up from the sea, upon which she receives supernatural powers such as precognition. Because her daughter Sadako was born with these powers, some have suggested that En no Gyōja (referred to as En no Ozunu in the novel) is meant to be seen as Sadako's father.

In the anime series of Naruto Shippuden, En no Gyōja appears as an old and powerful ninja who secluded himself on a mountain in the later years of his life.

References

^ Yoshino/Omine outskirts area assets Part of the Wakayama Prefecture World Heritage Site web site (Retrieved on March 17, 2009)
^ Blacker, Carmen. The Catalpa Bow. 2nd ed. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1986.

External links

Introducing places of interest: Yoshino-Kumano National Park || National Parks of Japan [MOE] (Ministry of the Environment (Japan) Retrieved on March 17, 2009)
JNTO Website | Find a Location | Nara | Yoshino (Japan National Tourist Organization Retrieved on March 17, 2009)

Persondata
Name	En No Gyoja
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	634
Place of birth
Date of death	706
Place of death