Kakure nenbutsu (隠れ念仏), or "hidden Amida Buddhism", was a form of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism secretly practiced on the Japanese island of Kyushu, in the Hitoyoshi Domain and Satsuma Domain, during a period of religious persecution from 1555 to the declaration of freedom of religion during the Meiji Restoration.
The kakure nenbutsu era began with the ikkō-ikki, violent uprisings of peasants encouraged and organized by the leadership of Shinshū splinter group Ikkō-shū.
The ikkō-ikki were part of a period of political instability in Japan and the threat they posed to samurai leadership was very real.
[1] Some kakure nenbutsu lineages departed from orthodox Shinshū and merged with yamabushi and other secret, esoteric practices.
[2] The term kakushi nenbutsu (隠し念仏) refers to a different type of "hidden Amida Buddhism" practiced in the Tohoku region.