Background
Ryōgen was bom in 912 in the province of Omi (present-day Shiga Prefecture).
Ryōgen was bom in 912 in the province of Omi (present-day Shiga Prefecture).
He became a monk in 928, entering the monastery on Mt. Ilici as a follower of the Tendai sect. He won reknown for engaging in doctrinal debates with exponents of other sects. At the same time he became friendly with Fujivvara no Morosuke, a high court official, accepting Morosuke’s son Jinzen as his disciple, and with Morosuke’s help set about rebuilding the temples of Mt. Hiei, which had earlier been destroyed by fire.
In 966 he became the eighteenth zasu, or head of the Tendai sect.