Kakunyo was a key figure of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism active from the late Kamakura period through the Nanboku-chō period. He was the great-grandson of Shinran and served as the third Monshu of the influential Hongan-ji Temple in Kyoto. As head priest of the Ōtani Hongan-ji, he played a decisive role in transforming Shinran's mausoleum into a fully institutionalized Buddhist temple. He is thus regarded by modern scholars as the de facto founder of Hongan-ji as a true religious institution with a doctrinal orthodoxy and regular services.
- Occupation
- Buddhist monk, religious leader, liturgist
- Citizenship
- Japan
- Born
- February 16, 1271, February 16, 1270
- Died
- February 23, 1351, December 19, 1351
