discipline master ［律師］ ( risshi): Also, vinaya master. A priest who is proficient in the Buddhist rules of discipline and excels in observing them. “Discipline Master” was also an official rank among the priesthood. A priest was appointed as a discipline master by the government to act as an official instructor of priests and nuns. In Japan, the three official ranks of administrator of priests (sōjō), supervisor of priests (sōzu), and Dharma magistrate (hōzu), in descending order of rank, were created in 624. In 683 the office of Dharma magistrate was replaced with that of discipline master, and later other official ranks were added. Discipline master was also used simply as an honorific title.