Japanese Buddhist sect that stresses the permeating effect (yūzū) of nembutsu, the invocation of the name of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha (Amitābha)). Thus, the belief was that not only the person who chants the name but all humanity benefits from the practice of nembutsu. The sect was founded in the early 12th century by an evangelistic Tendai monk, Ryōnin, and was a forerunner of the devotional Pure Land (Pure Land Buddhism) Buddhist schools such as Jōdo and Shin. The sect has continued in existence up to the present day, though its membership is considerably smaller than those of the other Pure Land sects.