In the Kamakura era, Hōnen’s followers headed to the Kanto area and tried spread their teachings, while there were many doctrinal disputes among them about Hōnen’s teaching. One of the discrepancies is clearly shown in Shinran’s letter in 1251 (Kenchō 3) concerning the understanding of Amida’s welcoming at the moment of death, an important issue among Shinran’s followers. Previous research assumes that the dispute was caused by Hōnen’s followers particularly by Ryōchū in the Kanto area. However, there has not been enough research on the situation of Pure Land Buddhism in the Kenchō period in the Kanto area. As a matter of fact, many of the historical records and writings including Ryōchū’s have not yet been published. This paper uses Ryōchū’s unpublished Kangyōsho-Kikigaki, showing his thought of the welcoming of Amida Buddha (raigō) in order to clarify the situation of Pure Land Buddhism in the Kanto area during the Kenchō period.
