Ippen (1239–1289) founded Ji-shu Buddhism and is known for two extraordinary acts: popularizing “odori nenbutsu” (dancing while chanting the nembutsu) and burning all his writings at the moment of death. Born into the warrior Kono clan of Iyo Province (Ehime), he became a monk at 10 and studied Pure Land Buddhism in Dazaifu. After a profound mystical experience at Kumano Nachi Shrine in 1271 — receiving the revelation that “the merit of the nembutsu reaches all people equally, regardless of belief” — he began a life of wandering Japan, distributing nembutsu amulets to more than 250,000 people. His “odori nenbutsu” brought nobles, warriors, and commoners together in a shared circle of spiritual ecstasy, transcending medieval class boundaries. When he died at 51 at a Kannon hall in Hyogo, he burned all his writings, saying “All that need remain is the merit of the nembutsu.” His life story is vividly depicted in the national treasure scroll “Ippen Shonin Eden,” painted by his disciple En’i — an invaluable record of medieval Japanese life.