Monks - Bouzushu

Japanese: 坊主衆 - ぼうずしゅう

A status of monks in medieval and early modern Japan. From the end of the Heian period onwards, the monks' houses, which should have belonged to the temple, became the private property of the individual monk, and the houses came to be called monks and the heads of monks came to be called monks. Initially, the term monks was used to distinguish them from monks who did not have their own houses, but from the Muromachi period onwards it came to refer to ordinary monks regardless of the type of religious facility (temple, dojo). People who follow a monk, living in the same house or elsewhere, are called followers. The relationship between a monk and followers is like that between a godfather and an adopted child, mediated by the assignment of a Buddhist name.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

日本中･近世の僧侶の一身分。平安末期以降，本来寺院に属すべき僧侶の屋舎が，僧侶個人の私的所有物と化し，その屋舎を坊(房)，坊の主を坊(房)主と呼ぶようになった。当初，坊主の称は，坊舎を持たぬ法師などと区別されて使われていたが，室町期以降，宗教施設の差異(寺院，道場)にかかわらず，一般僧侶をも指すようになった。同一坊舎内，あるいは他所に住する，坊主に従う人々を門徒という。坊主と門徒との関係は，法名下付を媒介にした，名付け親と養子･猶子との関係である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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