In the history of Japanese Buddhism, as time passed, the idea of an exclusive practice that had been advocated by Hōnen gradually evolved in new ways, due to the continuing emergence of important Buddhist figures. Among these, Ippen, who was active in the late Kamakura period, developed the ideas of Hōnen's leading disciple Shōkū into a unique understanding of the spoken name (myōgō 名号). By combining the distribution of fuda with dance, Ippen elevated Pure Land teachings to new heights. I will discuss Ippen's life and his religious ideas, relating it to both politics and Buddhist history, based on the Ippen hijirie and the Ippen Shōnin ekotobaden, which are foundational texts for the study of Ippen.