Nembutsu school ［念仏宗］ ( Nembutsu-shū): A generic term for those Buddhist schools in Japan that teach that one should seek to attain rebirth in the Pure Land by practicing Nembutsu, or invoking the name of Amida Buddha, i.e., chanting the phrase Namu Amida Butsu (“Homage to Amida Buddha” or “I take refuge in Amida Buddha”). Here the Pure Land refers to Amida’s Pure Land of Perfect Bliss. The major branches in Japan are the Pure Land (Jōdo) school, True Pure Land (Jōdo Shin) school, Time (Ji) school, and Interfusing Nembutsu (Yūzū Nembutsu) school. The term “Nembutsu school” often refers particularly to the Pure Land school founded in the twelfth century by Hōnen.