About Gishin
Lived 781 – 833 (aged 51–52). Gishin was a buddhist monk and monk.
Gishin (義真, 781 – August 26, 833) was a Buddhist monk of the Tendai school in the early Heian period. His secular clan name is given as Mariko no Muraji (丸子連) or Mariko-be (丸子部). He was a native of Sagami Province and was also known by the title Shūzen Daishi (修禅大師, "Master of Cultivating Meditation").
Biography
Gishin initially studied the Hossō school at Kōfuku-ji in Nara. He received ordination from a disciple of Jianzhen and became proficient in Chinese.
He later became a disciple of Saichō. In 804, he accompanied Saichō to Tang China as a translator. There, like Saichō, he received the perfect and sudden precepts (円頓戒, endonkai) from Daosui and esoteric Buddhist transmission from Shunxiao, after which he returned to Japan.
His works include the Tendai Hokke-shū Gishū (『天台法華宗義集』).
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gishin's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gishin?
Japanese Buddhist monk (781–833)
When was Gishin born?
Gishin was born in 781 in Sagami Province.
When did Gishin die?
Gishin died on 26 August 833.
What was Gishin's occupation?
Gishin was a buddhist monk and monk.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gishin. https://biography.guide/gishin/
MLA: "Gishin." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gishin/.
Chicago: "Gishin." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gishin/.
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