Ji-shu

Ji-shū (時宗) is one of four schools belonging to the Pure Land within Japanese Buddhism. The other three are Jōdo-shū ("the Pure Land"), Jōdo Shinshū ("the True Pure Land") and Yūzū Nembutsu. The school has around 500 temples and 3,400,000 followers. Ji-shū means "school of time" and the name is derived from its central teaching of reciting Nembutsu at regular intervals.

In the general classification of Buddhism in Japan, the Jōdo-shū, the Jōdo Shinshu, the Ji-shu and the Yuzu Nembutsu shu are collectively classified into the lineage of Jōdo Buddhism. (Jōdo kei, 浄土系)

The school was founded in 1270 by Ippen. In addition to practicing nembutsu, he was strongly influenced by the non-dualism within Zen. He even received Dharma transmission as a Zen master from Rōshi Kakushin.

Other practices associated with the Ji-shū include scheduled sessions of chanting (hence the name Ji-shū "Time sect"), the handing out of slips of paper with the nembutsu written on them, and keeping a register of the converted.

Shōjōkō-ji (清浄光寺), a temple located in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, and serves as the headquarters of the sect today.