Kuya, a monk of the mid-Heian period, is known as the 'Saint of the Marketplace' or 'Amida Saint' for performing dancing nembutsu in markets and streets and spreading nembutsu among the common people. He took in and memorialized the remains of those who died in famines and epidemics, and engaged in charitable activities for the socially weak. As a pioneer in spreading nembutsu to the people, he greatly influenced Honen and Ippen and created the prototype of 'dancing nembutsu.' The famous 'Standing Image of Kuya Shonin' at Rokuharamitsuji — with six Amida Buddha figures flying from his mouth — depicts him in his well-known form.