Ritsu sect

A Buddhist sect. It is one of the thirteen schools in China, and one of the Nanto Rokushu schools in Japan during the Nara period. Vinaya is a Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word vinaya, and refers to the rules that monks and nuns should follow. The Vinaya is a collection of rules for religious orders of monks, and was transmitted from India to China. Four of the Vinaya transmitted by Indian sects were translated into Chinese, and the Nanzan Vinaya, Xiangbu Vinaya, and Dongta Vinaya sects were established in China during the Tang dynasty using the Four Parts of the Vinaya. The Nanzan Vinaya sect, which was founded by Nanzan Master Daoxuan in the early Tang dynasty, adopted the Four Parts of the Vinaya of the sect of Buddhist sects in a Mahayana style and survived for a long time. Ganjin, who was a disciple of the Nanzan Ritsu sect, traveled to Japan after 12 years of hardship and entered Todaiji Temple in 754 (Tenpyo Shoho 6). He established the Kaidan-in Temple here as the main training center for ordination in Japan, and in 759 (Tenpyo Hoji 3) he founded Toshodaiji Temple as the center for the study of precepts. Ordination in Japan was entrusted to Ganjin, and the Japanese Ritsu sect was founded. Ordination platforms were also established at Kanzeonji Temple in Dazaifu, Kyushu, and Yakushiji Temple in Shimotsuke (Tochigi Prefecture), and those who wanted to become official monks had to undergo the ordination ceremony at one of these three ordinations.

Since Baekje Buddhism placed great importance on precepts, Japanese Buddhism also placed great importance on precepts from the beginning. The precepts are divided into five precepts for lay people and eight precepts to be observed on six days of fasting, ten precepts for novice monks and novice nuns, six laws for female scholars of the law, and full precepts for bhikkhu and bhikkuni (250 precepts for bhikkuni and 348 for bhikkuni). Bhikkhu and bhikkuni were only recognized as qualified when they performed a ceremony to swear to observe the respective precepts (receiving precepts) in the presence of 10 official monks (5 in remote areas). Before Ganjin, the ceremony to receive precepts was not performed as instructed, and the number of privately ordained monks (monks without official permission) increased, so it was necessary to establish a ritual system. Ganjin was asked to come to Japan for this purpose, and when the ordination platform was established, it was left to Ganjin to give precepts.

In Japan, the Ritsu sect is also called the Kai-Ritsu sect, as it focuses on Vinaya, one of the three important teachings in Buddhism: Sutra, Vinaya, and Treatise, and on Precepts, one of the three important teachings: Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom. In the early Heian period, the Tendai sect did not use the Four Parts of Vinaya, but instead established a Mahayana ordination platform based only on Mahayana precepts, causing the Ritsu sect to decline. However, by the end of the Heian period, the need to restore the precepts was keenly felt, and Nakanogawa Jitsuhan (?-1144) began its restoration. Kakujo is considered the founder of the restoration of Toshodaiji Temple, having established the system of "self-vow to receive the precepts." In addition, Shunjo, the founder of Sennyuji Temple, traveled to Song China and transmitted the Beijing Vinaya. The lineage of Eison and Ninsho of Saidaiji Temple is linked to esoteric Buddhism and is now known as the Shingon Risshu sect, while the Toshodaiji sect officially calls itself the Risshu sect.

The Ritsu sect has 28 temples, 17 teachers, and 23,950 followers. The Shingon Ritsu sect has 91 temples, 128 teachers, and 102,400 followers (Religious Yearbook, 2014 edition).

[Tamura Kosuke]

"A Study of the Precepts in Japanese Buddhism" by Ishida Mizumaro (1963, Lay Buddhist Association) " "Ryoichi Hosokawa, "Medieval Ritsu Sect Temples and the People" (1987, Yoshikawa Kobunkan) " "Outline of the Ritsu Sect" by Sato Tatsugen (1994, Okura Shuppan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏教の宗派。中国では十三宗の一、日本では奈良時代の南都六宗の一つ。律とは毘奈耶(びなや)（サンスクリット語ビナヤvinayaの音訳）の漢訳で、比丘(びく)・比丘尼(びくに)の守るべき規範のことである。出家者の教団における規定の集成書を律蔵といい、インドから中国へ伝えられた。インド各部派の伝えた律蔵のうち4種が漢訳されたが、そのうち「四分律」によって中国で南山律宗、相部宗(そうぶしゅう)、東塔宗(とうとうしゅう)の律宗が唐代に成立した。なかでも唐初期に南山大師道宣(どうせん)の開いた南山律宗は、本来は部派仏教の四分律を大乗的に受容し、長く命脈を保った。南山律宗を受けた鑑真(がんじん)は、12年間の苦難のすえ日本に渡り、754年（天平勝宝6）東大寺に入った。そしてここに戒壇院(かいだんいん)を設けて、日本における授戒の根本道場とし、759年（天平宝字3）唐招提寺(とうしょうだいじ)を開創し、戒律研究の中心とした。日本における授戒は鑑真にまかされ、日本の律宗が発足した。また九州大宰府(だざいふ)の観世音寺(かんぜおんじ)と下野(しもつけ)（栃木県）の薬師寺にも戒壇が設けられ、正式の僧になろうとする者はこの3戒壇のいずれかで受戒の儀式を行わねばならなかった。

　百済(くだら)の仏教が戒律を重視していたこともあって、日本の仏教でも伝来当初から戒律が重視されていた。戒律の条項は、在家には五戒と六斎日(ろくさいにち)に守るべき八戒、出家には沙弥(しゃみ)・沙弥尼の十戒、学法女の六法、比丘・比丘尼の具足戒(ぐそくかい)（比丘は二百五十戒、比丘尼は三百四十八戒）の区別がある。比丘・比丘尼はそれぞれの戒律を守ることを誓う（受戒）儀式を、10人の正式な僧（辺地で5人）の立会いのもとで行うことによって初めてそれぞれの資格が認められた。鑑真以前は受戒の儀式も教えどおり行われず、私度僧（官許を得ていない僧）も増え、儀式制度の確立が必要であった。このために来日を要請されたのが鑑真で、戒壇が設立されると授戒は鑑真に任されることになった。

　日本では律宗は、仏教で重視される経・律・論のうち律を、戒・定(じょう)・慧(え)のうち戒を中心とするため戒律宗ともよばれる。平安初期、天台宗が四分律を用いず、大乗戒のみによる大乗戒壇設立を行ったこともあり、律宗は衰退したが、平安末期には戒律の復興の必要性が痛感され、中ノ川実範(じちはん)（？―1144）はその復興に着手した。覚盛(かくじょう)は「自誓受戒(じせいじゅかい)」制度の確立により唐招提寺中興の祖とされる。ほかに、泉涌寺(せんにゅうじ)開山俊芿(しゅんじょう)は入宋(にっそう)して北京律(ほっきょうりつ)を伝えた。西大寺(さいだいじ)の叡尊(えいぞん)、忍性(にんしょう)の系統は密教と結び付き、現在は真言律宗(しんごんりっしゅう)と称しており、唐招提寺系が律宗を公称する。

　律宗は寺院数28、教師数17、信者数2万3950。真言律宗は寺院数91、教師数128、信者数10万2400（『宗教年鑑』平成26年版）。

［田村晃祐］

『石田瑞麿著『日本仏教における戒律の研究』（1963・在家仏教協会）』▽『細川涼一著『中世の律宗寺院と民衆』（1987・吉川弘文館）』▽『佐藤達玄著『律宗要綱』（1994・大蔵出版）』

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