The Enryakuji is a Buddhist monastic complex on the sacred Mt. Hiei, near Kyoto, Japan. The site was selected by the monk Saicho to become the headquarters of the Tendai sect, which he founded in Japan in the early 9th century CE. Enryakuji became one of the great seats of learning and had 20-25,000 residents at its peak. Systematically destroyed in the 16th century CE after it had become a troublesome military stronghold, many of its buildings have since been restored and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Definition
Timeline
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785Saicho establishes the first Buddhist shrine at what would become the Enryakuji temple complex on Mt. Hiei, Japan.
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c. 793 - 864Life of Ennin, the Buddhist scholar-monk and abbot of Enryakuji, who brought many esoteric teachings from China to Japan.n
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808Ennin joins the monastery of Enryakuji, Japan.
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854Ennin becomes the abbot of Enryakuji, Heiankyo (Kyoto), Japan.
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1571Oda Nobunaga attacks the Buddhist Enryakuji monastic complex near Kyoto.
