Nanjà  Bun'yà « (Ã¥ÂÂæ¡æÂÂéÂÂ) (1 July 1849 – 9 November 1927) was a Buddhist priest and one of the most important modern Japanese scholars of Buddhism. Nanjà  was born to the abbot of Seiunji Temple (èªÂéÂÂ寺), part of the Shinshu à Âtani sect (çÂÂå®Â大谷派) of the Higashi Hongan-ji (æ±æ¬é¡Â寺) branch of Jà Âdo Shinshà «.
Nanjà  studied Classical Chinese texts and Buddhist doctrine in his youth before being sent to Europe in 1876 to study Sanskrit and Indian philosophy from European scholars, including Max Müller, under whom Bunyu studied in England. While there he met the Chinese Buddhist Yang Wenhui, whom he helped to acquire some three hundred Chinese Buddhist texts that had been lost in China to be reprinted at Yang's printing house in Nanjing.
In September 1880, Nanjà  examined and cataloged a complete edition of the Chinese translation of the Buddhist Tripitaka that had been gifted to the India Office Library in London by the Japanese government. He determined that the India Office Library collection contained the same works as those mentioned in the oldest catalogue of the Chinese Translation of the Buddhist Tripitaka compiled in 520 AD.
Nanjà  endeavored to make the Buddhist canon more accessible to practitioners. He did this in part by collaborating with Maeda Eun to compile the **Bukkyà  Seiten** (ä»ÂæÂÂèÂÂå ¸), also known as the 'Buddhist Bible,' published in 1906 by Sanseidà Â.
He returned to Japan in 1884 and served as a professor or head of a number of Buddhist seminaries and universities until his death.