Lineage & History
Ein Horyu (恵印法流), “the Blessing-Seal Dharma Transmission,” refers to the Tozan (Shingon) Shugendo teachings transmitted historically at Daigoji in Kyoto, and particularly associated with the Sanbōin subtemple there.
Daigoji was founded in 874 by the monk Shobo (posthumously known as Rigen Daishi), and became a central hub for Shingon and Shugendo practice. Ein Horyu is said to have begun when Rigen Daishi met Jinpen Daibosatsu (En no Gyoja, the Shugendo founder) in the mountains, and awakened to the truth of the teachings that unify mikkyo (esoteric Buddhist practice) with mountain prayers and rituals. Based on this awakening, he transmitted Shugendo practices as part of Daigoji’s ritual system. This transmission became the core ritual lineage within the Daigoji Shugendo tradition, and the central stream of what became known as Tozan-ha (that is, Shingon) Shugendo.
Ein Horyu has its own esoteric transmission (denju and kanjo, teaching and empowerment) practiced within the lineage, known as Saisho Ein Samaya-ho (最勝恵印三昧耶法), the "Supreme Blessing-Seal Samaya Method.". Ein Horyu is a complete Shugendo system, encompassing deity practices, goma, saito goma, mountain training, and many other miscelleneous practices for diverse purposes.
Over the centuries, Ein Horyu was transmitted within Daigoji Shugendo. During the Meiji period (late 19th century), state policies of shinbutsu-bunri (enforced separation of Shinto and Buddhism) and suppression of Shugend0 significantly disrupted many mountain ascetic communities, including those at Daigoji. But the teachings were preserved, and in the early 20th century (around 1910 / Meiji 43), Ein initiations and ritual transmission were revived and re-established within the Daigoji Sanboin. Today, Ein Horyu continues to transmit this heritage founded by Rigen Daishi, though it is still considered rare to receive the Ein teachings fully.
In 2025, after some years of practicing various streams of Shugendo and receiving various Shingon and Tozan-ha Shugendo ritual transmissions including saito goma, two of our ISA directors received the complete Ein Horyu dento (lineage transmission) from Tenshu Dai-ajari in Saitama, Japan. This unusual transmission was given, Dai-ajari stated at the time, because he felt there was a danger that Ein Horyu would die out in Japan.
Charged thus to promulgate legitimate Shugendo practices widely, ISA's mission was born.
