Chronology

Life of Shinran
1173 Born at Hino, southeast of Kyoto
1181 Takes tonsure under the guidance of Jien; begins life of monk on Mt. Hiei
1201 Descends Mt. Hiei; entrust himself to the Nembutsu teaching and becomes disciple of Honen
1205 Permitted to copy Honen's major work, Senjakushu(*) and allowed to have the master's image drawn
* Passages on the Nembutsu Selected in the Primal Vow
1207 Nembutsu banned; exiled to Echigo (present Niigata)
1214 Moves to Hitachi Province (present, Ibaraki) of the Kanto region
1224 Drafts Kyogyoshinsho around this time
(The True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way)
1235 Returns to Kyoto around this date
1248 Completes first hymns: Hymns of the Pure Land and Hymns of the Pure Land Masters
1258 Completes Hymns of the Dharma-Ages
1263 Dies in Kyoto
After Shinran
1272 Temple built at his burial site at Otani, Higashiyama
1274 Kakushinni becomes first caretaker of Mausoleum
1294 Kakunyo writes Ho'onko Shiki, memorializing Shinran's teachings
(Ritual composed by Kakunyo expressing his gratitude to the founder Shinran.)
1295 Kakkunyo writes Shinran Den'ne
(Pictorial Transmission of the Life of Shinran)
1321 First public use of Hongwanji name
Life of Rennyo
1415 Born in Kyoto
1438 Rennyo's father, Zonnyo adopts the style of using two worship halls at Hongwanji
1457 Becomes eighth Monshu
1465 Monks of Mt. Hiei destroy Otani Hongwanji; Rennyo escapes
1471 Builds a temple at Yoshizaki (present Fukui)
1473 Has woodblocks of Shoshinge and Wasan carved for mass publication
(Hymns of the True Shinjin and the Nembutsu)
1475 Leaves Yoshizaki
1478 Rebuilds temple at Yamashina
1496 Builds temple at Ishiyama, Osaka
1499 Dies
Hongwanji
1532 Feudal load, Rokkaku and the Nichiren Buddhist school followers destroy Yamashina Hongwanji Headquarters moves to Ishiyama
1570 Oda Nobunaga attacks Ishiyama Hongwanji, starting ten-year siege
1580 Truce between Nobunaga and Hongwanji; headquarters moves to Saginomori, Wakayama
1583 Moves to Izumi, Osaka
1585 Moves to Temma, Osaka
1591 Moves to the present site in Kyoto
1596 Temple buildings damaged in earthquake
1617 Founder's Hall and the Hall of Amida Buddha burn down
1636 Founder's Hall rebuilt
1639 Gakuryo (forerunner of Ryukoku University) established
1655 Scholarly dispute of Jo'o era, Jo'o-no-kyogaku-ronso, concludes
1760 Hall of Amida Buddha rebuilt
1765 Shinshu Hoyo published
1767 Scholarly dispute of Meiwa era, Meiwa-no-horon, concludes
1806 Scholarly dispute on the Buddhist practices, Sango-wakuran, concludes
1881 Officially "Hongwanji-ha"; Hongwanji Assembly established
1923 700th Commemorative Service for the Founding of the Jodo Shinshu Denomination
1948 450th Memorial for Rennyo Shonin
1961 700th Memorial for Shinran Shonin
1973 800th Commemoration of Shinran Shonin's Birth and the 750th Commemoration of the Founding of the Jodo Shinshu Denomination
1977 Ohtani Koshin becomes 24th Head Priest as Sokunyo Monshu
1980 Commemoration on Accession of Sokunyo Monshu
1985 Commemoration for the Completion of the Hall of Amida Buddha's Restoration
1991 400th Memorial for Kennyo Shonin and Commemortion of Hongwanji's Relocation and Return to Kyoto
1998 500th Memorial for Rennyo Shonin
1999 Founder's Hall's restoration begins
2009 Founder's Hall's restoration completes
2011-12 750th Memorial for Shinran Shonin
2014 Ohtani Kojun becomes 25th Head Priest as Sennyo Monshu
2016-17 Commemoration on Accession of Sennyo Monshu

A Collection of Buddhist scriptures written by Hongwanji successive head priests and other scholars

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