History of Japan men instead joined forces with Emperor Go-Daigo and overthrew the Kamakura shogunate. Japan nevertheless entered a period of prosperity and population growth starting around 1250. In rural areas, the greater use of iron tools and fertilizer, improved irrigation techniques, and double-cropping increased productivity and rural villages grew. Fewer famines and epidemics allowed cities to grow and commerce to boom. Buddhism, which had been largely a religion of the elites, was brought to the masses by prominent monks, such as Hōnen (1133–1212), who established Pure Land Buddhism in Japan, and Nichiren (1222–82), who founded Nichiren Buddhism. Zen Buddhism spread widely among
Buddhism in Myanmar a form of insight meditation believed to lead to enlightenment. The weizza path is an esoteric system of occult practices (such as recitation of spells, samatha and alchemy) believed to lead to life as a "weizza" (also spelt "weikza"), a semi-immortal and supernatural being who awaits the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya (Arimeitaya). Buddhism is practiced by approximately 90% of the country. According to Burmese census data dating back to 1891, between 84% to 90% of the population have practiced Buddhism. The history of Buddhism in Myanmar probably extends more than two thousand years. The "Sāsana Vaṃsa" (Burmese "Thathana