In 741, at Kuninomiya (alternatively read Kunikyo, site of the ancient capital in the Nara period) he studied under the Chinese priest Daoxuan (Japanese transliteration: Dosen) and entered the Buddhist priesthood, taking his vows at Hokuso-in of the Kofuku-ji Temple in 743.
741年（天平13年）恭仁宮で道璿に師事して得度し、743年（天平15年）興福寺北倉院で受戒。