Buzan-ha (真言宗豊山派, Shingon-shū Buzan-ha) is a sect of Shingon Buddhism founded in the 16th century by the priest Senyo Sōjō (専誉僧正). The main Buzan-ha temple is Hase-dera in Sakurai, Nara.
While the reformed Shingon (shingi) faction, established by the priest Kakuban, is synonymous with the Chisan-ha sect, the Buzan-ha sect was strongly tied with the Tokugawa clan, receiving support from the shogunate, and the main temple, Gokoku-ji, where it became a focal point for spreading the Shingon teachings for the Kanto region. While gaining many followers in Kanto, historical circumstances led to only one branch temple existing in each in China and Kyushu due to the dispersal and consolidation of the Shingon sect.
The history of the Buzan sect of Shingon begins with the establishment of Hasedera. Although the founding of Hasedera is estimated to be in the Nara period, the details remain unclear. According to temple records, in the first year of Shuchō (686), during the reign of Emperor Tenmu, Dokei erected a three-story pagoda on the western hill of Hatsuseyama. In the fourth year of Jinki (727), it is said that the monk Tokudo enshrined a statue of Ekādaśamukha (Juichimen-kannon) on the eastern hill (the current location of the main hall) and founded the temple, but this is considered within the realm of tradition.
In the 14th year of Jōwa (847) on December 21, Hasedera was officially recognized as a fixed-amount temple, and on May 10, in the 2nd year of Ten'an (858), it was recorded that the three precepts were established. It is believed that during this period, Hasedera was recognized as an official temple, and an administrator was appointed.
From the mid-Heian period onward, Hasedera attracted the faith of the aristocracy as a Kannon pilgrimage site. In the first year of Manju (1024), Fujiwara no Michinaga made a pilgrimage, and from the medieval period onwards, it spread its influence to warriors and commoners.
Although originally a sub-temple of Todai-ji, during the mid-Heian period, it became a sub-temple of Kofuku-ji. In the 16th century, it followed the lineage of the Shinto Shingon school, and was established and propagated by Raimitsu. In the 16th year of Tensho (1588), followers of the reformed Shingon school, who were expelled from Negoro-ji due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attack, settled in Hasedera. Under the leadership of the sect's monk Sen'nyo, the Buzan sect was officially formed.
Due to the Meiji government's religious policies, it merged with other Shingon sects in 1879. However, in September 1900, it regained independence as the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism, with Hasedera as its head temple.
In March 1941, various Shingon sects, including the old and new Shin-Gi Shingon sects, merged to form the Da-Shingon sect under government policy. However, after the war, it regained independence and was officially registered as the Shingon-shu Toyoyama-ha in 1952.
Today the Buzan-ha sect has 3000 temples, 5000 priests and two million followers. Its largest chapters outside Japan are located in Hong Kong (under the name "Mantra School for Lay Buddhists") and Vietnam (under the name "Minh Nguyệt Cư Sĩ Lâm").