Genchi was born in 1183 in Kyoto. He was the son of Moromori Taira or, according to some records, the son of Michimori Taira. He hid himself with his mother after the downfall of the Taira Clan. Jien, Chief Priest of the Tendai Sect, officiated at the ceremony initiating him into Buddhist faith.
In 1195, Genchi became a disciple of Hōnen (Genkii) who was a Japanese buddhist monk.
Genchi was a devoted follower of Honen, who gave him inspired notes on Buddhism in the famous Ichimai Kishdmon (pledge written on a sheet of paper). When a feud arose in the Tendai Sect, Genchi was aggrieved, built a temple and confined himself in it, spending his time in religious devotions. This temple is supposed to have been the Seifukuji Temple, located west of the Nanzenji Temple in Kyoto. On the back of a Buddhist statue in that temple are inscribed devout words written by Genchi.
