Editing Heian period (section)

===Developments in Buddhism===
[[File:Danjogaran Koyasan12n3200.jpg|thumb|Danjō-garan on [[Mount Kōya]], a sacred center of [[Shingon]] Buddhism]]
[[File:Fugen enmei painting.jpg|thumb|Painting of the [[bodhisattva]] Fugen Enmei ([[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]]). Ink on silk, 12th century]]
[[File:Standing Komoku Ten (Virupakusa) Heian Period, 12th century.tiff|thumb|Statue of Kōmokuten ([[Virupaksa]]), the Heavenly King of the West. Wood, 12th century]]

The Heian period saw the rise of two [[Vajrayana|esoteric]] Buddhist sects, [[Tendai]] and [[Shingon Buddhism|Shingon]].

Tendai is the Japanese version of the [[Tiantai]] school from China, which is based on the [[Lotus Sutra]], one of the most important [[sutra]]s in [[Mahayana]] Buddhism. It was brought to Japan by the monk [[Saichō]]. An important element of Tendai doctrine was the suggestion that enlightenment was accessible to "every creature".<ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 60.</ref> Saichō also sought independent ordination for Tendai monks.<ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 61.</ref> A close relationship developed between the Tendai monastery complex on [[Mount Hiei]] and the imperial court in its new capital at the foot of the mountain. As a result, Tendai emphasized great reverence for the emperor and the nation. [[Emperor Kanmu]] himself was a notable patron of the otherworldly Tendai sect, which rose to great power over the ensuing centuries.

Shingon is the Japanese version of the Zhenyen school from China, which is based on [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism. It was brought to Japan by the monk [[Kūkai]]. Shingon Buddhism emphasizes the use of symbols, rituals, incantations and mandalas, which gave it a wide appeal.<ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 65.</ref> Kūkai greatly impressed the emperors who succeeded Emperor Kammu, and also generations of Japanese, not only with his holiness but also with his poetry, calligraphy, painting, and sculpture. Both Kūkai and Saichō aimed to connect state and religion and establish support from the aristocracy, leading to the notion of "aristocratic Buddhism".<ref>Weinstein 1999.</ref><ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 59.</ref>