National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is a lineage chart showing the succession of Buddhism in three nations (India, China and Japan), which Saicho created in December 819 to prove the authenticity of the Tendai Hokke sect as a successor of Buddhism in response to an argument brought by sogo (priest management organization) in Nara. In February of the following year, the lineage chart was submitted to Saga Joko (retired emperor) together with Kenkairon (a brief summary of the ideas and theoretical grounds of the Tendai sect). The chart shows that Saicho was initiated in four ways to become a Buddhist, namely, en-mitsu-zen-kai, which were transmitted from India to China and finally to Saicho, through the following five kinds of lineage charts: Daruma Taishi, Tendai Hokke, Tendai Enkyo Bosatsukai, Womb World and Diamond World Mandala and Zatsu/Zo Mandala (達磨大師付法相承師々血脈・天台法華宗相承師々血脈・天台円教菩薩戒相承師々血脈・胎蔵金剛両曼荼羅相承師々血脈・雑曼荼羅相承師々血脈).
This chart and a copy that Myohoin Temple in Kyoto possesses (important cultural property, copied at the end of the Heian Period) are important material as old copies made at the end of the Heian period.