Ennyo (円如)

Ennyo (1489 - September 30, 1521) was a monk of the Jodo Shinshu (the True Pure Land Sect of Buddhism) during the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States) (Japan). His imina (personal name) was Koyu. He was the second son of the ninth head of Hongan-ji Temple, Jitsunyo, and was the father of Shonyo, the tenth head of the temple. His mother was Nyoyu, who was the daughter of Nagatsugu TAKAKURA. Because his death preceded that of his father, he wasn't assigned to be the successive Hossu (head of a Buddhist sect) of Hongan-ji Temple.

He was born in Yamashina Ward, entered the Buddhist priesthood at 12 years of age, and assumed as the position of hoshi (successor of principle) of Hongan-ji Temple, after the death of his older brother Shonyo (照如). He carried out the activities of the religious society in place of his aged father. He distributed the Three Clauses of Warning to ban the uprising of followers in Hokuriku (northern Japan), created the Ichimon-Ikke System that divided the Hongan-ji families into Ichimonshu (clansman) (for legitimate son) and ikkeshu (the same linage people as the Hongan-ji Temple) (for second son and younger), re-established the religious group by collecting 80 letters from the documents of Rennyo and edited it into five books called Ofumi to create the basics of Shumonshinjo (the religious group codes), and built the basic platform of Hongan-ji Temple during the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States); however, he died at just 33 years of age.

[Original Japanese]