Azuchi religious debate

The Azuchi religious debate (安土宗論, Azuchi shūron) took place between monks of the Nichiren and Jōdo sects of Japanese Buddhism, at Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle in 1579.

Nobunaga, who effectively ruled over all of Japan at the time, had a long history of low tolerance for the hypocrisy of violence or competition for power among religious groups. Following a number of disturbances caused by Nichiren followers intolerant of Jōdo thought or practices, Nobunaga sought to resolve the matter through a discussion.

In the end, he ordered the Nichiren supporters responsible for the disturbances to be executed, including the evangelist Fuden Nichimon. The Nichiren establishment apologized for its transgressions and promised to be more tolerant in the future, but a large indemnity was still imposed upon it.

References

• Frederic, Louis (2002). "Azuchi shūron." Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.