Kegon, as the Japanese form of Huayan Buddhism, finds its living heart in Japan, where it is recognized as one of the traditional Buddhist schools. Its primary locus of practice is Tōdai-ji in Nara, a temple that functions as the head temple of the Kegon school and stands as the most prominent site where its rituals, study, and contemplative disciplines are maintained. This great temple, renowned for housing the monumental Great Buddha statue, serves not only as an institutional center but also as a symbolic embodiment of Kegon’s vision of an intricately interconnected cosmos. Within its halls and precincts, the school’s liturgical and doctrinal life continues in a focused and sustained manner.

Beyond Tōdai-ji, Kegon is present in other temples throughout Japan that align themselves with this tradition, even if on a smaller scale. In these places, Kegon teachings and practices persist as part of a more modest, temple-based network, reflecting the school’s status as one of the smaller Buddhist lineages in the Japanese landscape. The Japanese Kegon tradition thus remains firmly rooted in its homeland, with Tōdai-ji at its center and other affiliated temples extending its influence in a more diffuse way.

Because Kegon is historically derived from Chinese Huayan Buddhism, related currents of thought and practice also appear in other East Asian contexts. In regions such as China, Korea, and Vietnam, one encounters traditions shaped by Huayan influence, which resonate closely with the philosophical and devotional world that Kegon articulates. Yet the specifically Japanese expression known as Kegon retains its primary home and institutional continuity in Japan itself, especially in and around Tōdai-ji and those temples that consciously uphold its heritage.