From the viewpoint of Buddhist history, the first definition is considered the only correct definition of 'Ikkoshu'; in practice, however, as with the impression of the Ikko ikki uprising during the Sengoku period (period of warring states) and forcible integration (the ban on using the name 'Ikkoshu') by the Edo bakufu, as in the first definition, and the forcible renaming of the Jodo Shinshu sect (forcing the Jodo Shinshu sect to use the name 'Ikkoshu') by the Edo bakufu, as in the second definition, the second definition is now generally adopted.
仏教史的な観念からすれば、本来は1.のみが「一向宗」の正しい定義であるとも考えらるが、実際には戦国時代_(日本)の一向一揆の印象や江戸幕府による1.の強制統合（「一向宗」の使用禁止）と2.の強制改名（「一向宗」の使用強要）に伴い、今日では2.のみを指すのが一般的である。