Jajang, who was a scholar of considerable renown in the areas of Gyeyul and Weonyung, is credited for having been a major force in setting up the Korean sa?gha (monastic community), and for helping to institute the role of Buddhism as a national religion.

The Three Kingdoms period is also the time of the major transmission of Buddhism to Japan. The official date of the first mission from Baekje, in which Korean monks arrived bringing Buddhist texts and images, is variously given as 538 and 552. In 577, at the request of Japanese rulers, a second contingent of Buddhist monks, nuns, sculptors and architects were sent to Japan to spread Buddhism and Buddhist culture, mainly in Nara. Buddhist missions were also sent from Goguryeo and Silla, and continued throughoutthe Unified Silla period. Thus, the first few centuries of development of Buddhist culture in Japan were greatly Korean-influenced, as it was not until the eighth and ninth centuries when Japanese monks began to study in the Tang in significant numbers.

3. Unified Silla Period (????; 668-918)

The kingdom of Silla ?? was originally the weakest and located in the most isolated position of the Three Kingdoms, but gradually gained in power after the assimilation of Buddhism. In 668, the armies of Silla, with the help of Tang China, succeeded in unifying the peninsula, after which time the influence of Buddhism became deepened, with scholarly activity reaching a peak. Although such figures as Weonhyo, Uisang (??; 625-702) and Jajang are usually mentioned as the leaders of this scholarly zenith, there