Shōkū ［証空］ (1177–1247): Also known as Zenne-bō. The founder of the Seizan branch of the Pure Land (Jōdo) school in Japan. He became a disciple of Hōnen, the founder of the Japanese Pure Land school, in 1190. He made a profound study of the Pure Land teachings and assisted his teacher in composing The Nembutsu Chosen above All. After Hōnen’s death, he devoted himself to spreading faith in Amida Buddha among the nobility. Unlike Hōnen, however, Shōkū did not deny practices other than the Nembutsu (the invocation of Amida Buddha’s name), believing that observance of the precepts and other good acts also assisted rebirth in the Pure Land.