Kaijo (priest) (開成 (僧))

Kaijo (724 - October 29, 781) was a Buddhist priest in the Nara period. He was a son of Emperor Konin and an older brother of Emperor Kanmu by a concubine. He is believed to have been the founder of Katsuo-ji Temple in Settsu Province.

In 765, he left the Imperial Court, went to Mt. Katsuo for meditation, met two masters, Zenchu and Zensan, went into priesthood and received the religious precept. It is believed that Kaijo inherited the will of his two masters' commitment to copying Daihannya-kyo (Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra) and completed the work in six years with the divine protection of Hachiman Daibosatsu (Great Bodhisattva Hachiman). He constructed a dojo (place of Buddhist practice or meditation) to house the copies of the sutra in Mt. Katsuo and named it Miroku-ji Temple (also known as Katsuo-ji Temple).

In 781, he died at the age of 58, and his body was buried in the tomb of Prince Kaijo located in today's Meiji no Mori Mino Quasi-National Park, Mino City, Osaka Prefecture.

[Original Japanese]