Kō (lecture)

The Japanese term kō (講), or kōsha (講社), in Buddhism, is a service or gathering in which monks read or study Buddhist texts.

During the Heian period, Tiantai rose among the aristocrats, and they financed the eight Buddhist rites of the Lotus Sutra, which were lavishly decorated.

This led to the development of "kōko," or religious meetings away from the study of Buddhist scriptures, among the secular classes (e.g., Hōonkō).

The Jōdo Shinshu "kōko" organization was responsible for the Kaga Ikkyō Putsch and other revolts.

[1] While these were obligatory for community members to join, there were also free-participation "yuyama kosha" for the purpose of fun and other activities.