The is a comparatively small medieval sect of Japanese Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

 that arose in the Kamakura Period

Kamakura period

The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....

 as an offshoot of the parent Shingon sect. The founder was a monk named Eison (叡尊 1201-1290), a disciple of Jōkei, and carried further by Eison's disciple Ninshō

Ninshō

was a Japanese Shingon Risshu priest during the Kamakura period. His was instrumental in reviving Ritsu Buddhism during this period, as well as establishing facilities to care for invalids. He was criticized by his contemporary Nichiren....

 (忍性 1217-1303).

The school is marked by an increased emphasis on the Vinaya

Vinaya

The Vinaya is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha, based in the canonical texts called Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Buddha, or Buddhadharma can be divided into two broad categories: 'Dharma' or doctrine, and 'Vinaya', or discipline...

 monastic code (including the full precepts and rules for monks held by the traditional Buddhist sects) than traditional Shingon Buddhism, while still adhering to tantric practices. Its home temple is Saidai-ji

Saidai-ji

Saidai-ji or the "Great Western Temple" is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple was established in AD 765 as a counterpart to Tōdai-ji and it is the main temple of the Shingon Risshu sect of Buddhism after the sect's founder, Eison, took over administration in...

.