JJRS > Volume 24 Issue 1-2 What is Kamakura New Buddhism? Official Monks and Reclusive Monks

Matsuo Kenji

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Recent scholarship has elucidated many aspects of medieval Japanese religion and society, leading to a radical rethinking of the term “Kamakura New Buddhism.” Kuroda Toshio’s model of an exoteric-esoteric system (kenmitsu taisei) has been particularly influential. Nevertheless some problems remain. This article summarizes a model for understanding Kamakura New Buddhism in terms of the differences between official monks (kansō) and reclusive monks (tonseisō).