s ▁ancest ors ▁were ▁descend ants ▁of ▁em per ors ▁of ▁Eastern ▁Han ▁China ; ▁however , ▁no ▁positive ▁evidence ▁exists ▁for ▁this ▁claim . ▁The ▁region ▁where ▁Sa ich ō ▁was ▁born ▁did ▁have ▁a ▁large ▁Chinese ▁imm igr ant ▁population , ▁so ▁Sa ich ō ▁likely ▁did ▁have ▁Chinese ▁ancest ry . ▁ ▁During ▁Sa ich ō ' s ▁time , ▁the ▁Buddh ist ▁tem ples ▁in ▁Japan ▁were ▁officially ▁organized ▁into ▁a ▁national ▁network ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁provincial ▁temple ▁system , ▁and ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 3 , ▁Sa ich ō ▁became ▁a ▁dis ci ple ▁of ▁one ▁Gy ō hy ō ▁( 7 2 2 – 7 9 7 , ▁ 行 表 ). ▁He ▁took ▁tons ure ▁as ▁a ▁nov ice ▁mon k ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 4 ▁and ▁was ▁given ▁the ▁ord ination ▁name ▁" Sa ich ō ". ▁Gy ō hy ō ▁in ▁turn ▁was ▁a ▁dis ci ple ▁of ▁D ao - x uan ▁( 7 0 2 – 7 6 0 , ▁ 道 <0xE7> <0x92> <0xBF> , ▁D ō sen ▁in ▁Japanese ), ▁a ▁prominent ▁mon k ▁from ▁China ▁of ▁the ▁Ti ant ai ▁school ▁who ▁had ▁brought ▁the ▁East ▁Mountain ▁Te aching ▁of ▁Chan ▁Buddh ism , ▁Hu ay an ▁teach ings ▁and ▁the ▁Bod his att va ▁Pre cept s ▁of ▁the ▁Bra h ma j ala ▁S ut ra ▁to ▁Japan ▁in ▁ 7 3 6 ▁and ▁served ▁as ▁the ▁" pre cept ▁master " ▁for