Sometimes the term is expressed as Ōjō gokuraku (往生極楽, rebirth in the land of ultimate happiness).
The subject of how to obtain birth in the Pure Land remained an important question throughout Japanese Buddhist history even until today.
The early Nara Buddhism schools provided different opinions as to how to obtain rebirth in the Pure Land, though in some cases, such as the Hossō school taught that icchantikas (people who committed the Five Grave Acts) could not obtain rebirth ever.
Genshin, a Tendai monk, wrote the Ōjōyōshū in which he described the horrors of Hell in Buddhism, and the delights of the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha, then teaches the importance of reciting the nembutsu while maintaining a regimen of visualization and meditation practices.
Hōnen's doctrine led to resistance among monks of the more traditional and state-sanctioned sects, leading to persecution or alternate teachings.