Shinran (1173–1263), founder of Jodo Shinshu, articulated a paradoxical salvation teaching known as Akunin Shoki: ‘Even good people attain rebirth in the Pure Land — how much more so the wicked.’ Shinran argued that ‘evil people’ (those unable to extinguish their worldly passions through their own efforts) are precisely those for whom Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow was made. Rather than self-power (jiriki) through ascetic practice, it is Amida’s Other Power (tariki) that saves all. This revolutionary teaching opened Buddhism to the masses. After being exiled to Echigo (Niigata) in 1207 during the Jogen Persecution, Shinran openly married and lived as a layman, embodying his belief that even a person with worldly attachments could be saved. Today, visitors can experience his legacy at Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji in Kyoto, the head temples of Japan’s largest Buddhist denomination.