Eikan-do Zenrin-ji
Encyclopedia
For other temples by similar names, see Zenrin-ji
.
Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji (永観堂禅林寺) is the head temple for the Seizan
branch of Japan's Jōdo shū
(Pure Land) Buddhist sect, located in the town of Eikandō, in Kyoto
's Sakyō-ku
. It was founded by Shinshō
, a pupil of Kūkai
, and is famous for its fall foliage
and for its prominence in the past as a center of learning.
"). However, it also has two other names. "Shōju-raigō-san" (聖衆来迎山) translates roughly to "Mountain of going across to the saints", while "Muryōsu-in" (無量寿院) means roughly "Temple of Immeasurable Fortune".
. In 853
, he purchased the mansion of Fujiwara no Sekio for this purpose. The construction of temples was forbidden in Kyoto at the time, however, and so it was not until ten years later, when formal Imperial approval was granted by Emperor Seiwa
, that the Zenrin-ji was formally founded.
Though originally devoted to the Shingon sect, beginning in the time of Yōkan (永観, 1033-1111), the seventh head monk, the temple began to shift towards Jōdo shū, a sect formally established roughly a century later in 1175. Yōkan had trained in a number of temples of different disciplines in Nara
, and was a passionate devotee of the Amida Buddha
. In 1072, he established a Yakuō-in (薬王院) on the grounds, which organized giving to the needy and caring for the ill. He also introduced the practice of Nenbutsu, a Chinese practice which was quite new in Japan, into the temple, and cultivated its observance among the monks and devotees.
Zenrin-ji has grown famous for its unusual statue of the Amida Buddha, which looks over its shoulder, rather than straight ahead. In Japanese this is called the Mikaeri Amida. According to tradition, at one point in 1082, when Yōkan was fifty, he and a number of monks were practicing a ritual, walking around the statue and reciting sutras
when the statue of Amida came to life and stepped down from its dais. Yōkan halted the ritual in surprise; the Buddha looked over its shoulder at the monk, and said to him, "Yōkan you are slow". Ever since then, goes the story, the posture of this statue has remained in that position. Alternate versions of the story involve the Buddha joining the monks in a ritual dance.
The twelfth head of the temple, Jōhen (1166-1224), originally a Shingon monk like the rest at Zenrin-ji, was a disciple of Hōnen, one of the founders of Jōdo shū; Jōhen was thus the first head of Zenrin-ji to be a formal devotee of this emerging sect. He was succeeded as head monk by Shōkū
(1177-1247), and it was under Shōkū's successor, Shōon (1201-1271), that the temple formally became devoted to Jōdo shū.
The Zenrin-ji compound is nestled in Kyoto's Eastern Mountain (Higashiyama), and its buildings, most of them connected by covered walkways and staircases, are scattered among a range of heights.
by the Japanese government, there are a great many cultural treasures stored in Zenrin-ji's Tahōtō. These primary consist of paintings
of a variety of Buddhist subjects, including images of Amida, Shakyamuni
, Yakushi nyōrai
, and the Parinirvana
of the Buddha. Paintings by Kanō Motonobu
, Tosa Mitsunobu
, and Hasegawa Tōhaku
are also kept by the temple.
The wooden Amida statue is 77 cm in height, and though for a long time believed to date from the Kamakura period
(1185-1333), is now thought to have been carved somewhat earlier in the 12th century (Heian period
, 794-1185). This change in dating came about with the comparison to Song dynasty
(960-1279) sculptures in Sichuan
Province which show strong similarities in style. Zenrin-ji's Amida statue was formally named an Important Cultural Property in 1999.
Zenrin-ji
Zenrin-ji is the name of a number of Japanese Buddhist temples.*Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji, in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto.*Zenrin-ji , Ōbaku Zen temple in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture.*Zenrin-ji , a Sōtō temple in Fukui, Fukui Prefecture....
.
Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji (永観堂禅林寺) is the head temple for the Seizan
Seizan
Seizan is the name of the branch of Jōdo shū Buddhism that was founded by Hōnen's disciple, Shōkū. Shōkū often went by the name Seizan as well, however the name derives from the western mountains of Kyoto where Shōkū often dwelt. The main temple of this branch of Buddhism is at the temple of...
branch of Japan's Jōdo shū
Jodo Shu
, also known as Jōdo Buddhism, is a branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Japanese ex-Tendai monk Hōnen. It was established in 1175 and is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, along with Jōdo Shinshū....
(Pure Land) Buddhist sect, located in the town of Eikandō, in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
's Sakyō-ku
Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Kamigyo-ku.It is located in the north-east corner of Kyoto city. In the east it borders the city of Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture. In the south Sanjō Street separates it from...
. It was founded by Shinshō
Shinsho (Shingon)
Shinshō was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Shingon sect and founder of the Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji in Heian-kyō .He studied Vajrayana - or Esoteric - buddhism under Kūkai at the Tō-ji and became the third master of Shingon in 843...
, a pupil of Kūkai
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
, and is famous for its fall foliage
Momijigari
, from the Japanese , "red leaves" or "maple tree" and , "hunting", is the Japanese tradition of going to visit scenic areas where leaves have turned red in the autumn. It is also called . in Hokkaidō...
and for its prominence in the past as a center of learning.
Names
The temple is commonly referred to as either just "Eikan-dō" (永観堂, "View of Eternity Hall" or "Hall of Yōkan") or "Zenrin-ji" (禅林寺, "Temple of Forest of ZenZen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
"). However, it also has two other names. "Shōju-raigō-san" (聖衆来迎山) translates roughly to "Mountain of going across to the saints", while "Muryōsu-in" (無量寿院) means roughly "Temple of Immeasurable Fortune".
History
The temple got its start when Kūkai's pupil, the monk Shinshō, aspired to found a temple for the worship of the Gochi Nyōrai, or Five Wisdom BuddhasFive Dhyani Buddhas
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas , also known as the Five Wisdom Tathāgatas, the Five Great Buddhas and the Five Jinas , are representations of the five qualities of the Buddha...
. In 853
853
Year 853 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Egypt :* May 22–May 23 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys Damietta in Egypt.- Asia :...
, he purchased the mansion of Fujiwara no Sekio for this purpose. The construction of temples was forbidden in Kyoto at the time, however, and so it was not until ten years later, when formal Imperial approval was granted by Emperor Seiwa
Emperor Seiwa
was the 56th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.-Traditional narrative:...
, that the Zenrin-ji was formally founded.
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, and was a passionate devotee of the Amida Buddha
Amitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
. In 1072, he established a Yakuō-in (薬王院) on the grounds, which organized giving to the needy and caring for the ill. He also introduced the practice of Nenbutsu, a Chinese practice which was quite new in Japan, into the temple, and cultivated its observance among the monks and devotees.
Zenrin-ji has grown famous for its unusual statue of the Amida Buddha, which looks over its shoulder, rather than straight ahead. In Japanese this is called the Mikaeri Amida. According to tradition, at one point in 1082, when Yōkan was fifty, he and a number of monks were practicing a ritual, walking around the statue and reciting sutras
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
when the statue of Amida came to life and stepped down from its dais. Yōkan halted the ritual in surprise; the Buddha looked over its shoulder at the monk, and said to him, "Yōkan you are slow". Ever since then, goes the story, the posture of this statue has remained in that position. Alternate versions of the story involve the Buddha joining the monks in a ritual dance.
The twelfth head of the temple, Jōhen (1166-1224), originally a Shingon monk like the rest at Zenrin-ji, was a disciple of Hōnen, one of the founders of Jōdo shū; Jōhen was thus the first head of Zenrin-ji to be a formal devotee of this emerging sect. He was succeeded as head monk by Shōkū
Shoku
, sometimes called was a disciple of Hōnen, founder of the Jōdo shū Buddhist sect. Shoku later succeeded another disciple of Hōnen, Jōhen as the head of a former Shingon Buddhist temple, Eikandō, established a separate branch of Jōdo shū called the Seizan branch , and completed the transition of...
(1177-1247), and it was under Shōkū's successor, Shōon (1201-1271), that the temple formally became devoted to Jōdo shū.
Grounds
- Main gate - the Kōrai-mon (高麗門) is named after the ancient Korean kingdom of GoguryeoGoguryeoGoguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
(Kōrai in Japanese). The current structure dates from the late Edo periodLate Tokugawa shogunate, literally "end of the curtain", are the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end. It is characterized by major events occurring between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and transitioned from a feudal shogunate...
(mid-19th c.). - Inner gate - the Yakui-mon (薬医門), along with the Kōrai-mon, derive from the fortress gates that would have surrounded the aristocratic mansion before it became a temple. Their placement and architecture are said to still reflect these origins today. The current structure dates to 1744.
- Founder's Hall (御影堂, Goedō) - enshrines and honors Hōnen, the founder of Jōdo shū. The current structure was completed in 1912, and is larger than the Amida Hall.
- Amida Hall (阿弥陀堂, Amida-dō) - the famous Amida statue which is the central object of worship for the temple, is enshrined here. The hall is seated higher on the mountain than the Founder's Hall; the current structure was built at the beginning of the 17th century.
- TahōtōTahōtōA is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories...
- the temple's tower is situated at the highest point in the compound, and offers the greatest view of the scenery. The current structure was completed in 1928. - Zen Chief Priests' Chamber (方丈, Hōjō) - despite Zenrin-ji's name, it is not a temple of ZenZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhism; nevertheless, the compound includes this priests' chamber in the Zen style. Its construction is said to have been ordered by Emperor Go-KashiwabaraEmperor Go-KashiwabaraEmperor Go-Kashiwabara was the 104th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from November 16, 1500 to May 19, 1526. His personal name was Katsuhito...
(r. 1500-1526), but was not built until the Edo periodEdo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
.
Treasures
In addition to the famous Amida statue, which is designated an Important Cultural PropertyImportant Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
by the Japanese government, there are a great many cultural treasures stored in Zenrin-ji's Tahōtō. These primary consist of paintings
Buddhist art
Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama, 6th to 5th century BC, and thereafter evolved by contact with other cultures as it spread throughout Asia and the world....
of a variety of Buddhist subjects, including images of Amida, Shakyamuni
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, Yakushi nyōrai
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru , formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja , is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.-Origin:...
, and the Parinirvana
Parinirvana
In Buddhism, parinirvana is the final nirvana, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening...
of the Buddha. Paintings by Kanō Motonobu
Kano Motonobu
Kanō Motonobu was a Japanese painter. He was a member of the Kanō school of painting.Kano Motonobu's father was Kanō Masanobu, the founder of the Kanō school....
, Tosa Mitsunobu
Tosa Mitsunobu
was a Japanese painter, the founder of the Tosa school of Japanese painting. Born into a family that had traditionally served as painters to the Imperial court, he was head of the court painting bureau from 1493 to 1496. In 1518 he was appointed chief artist to the Ashikaga shogunates.- External...
, and Hasegawa Tōhaku
Hasegawa Tohaku
was a Japanese painter and founder of the Hasegawa school of Japanese painting during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history.The man known today as Hasegawa Tōhaku was born in 1539 in Nanao, a town in Noto Province to a noted local family of cloth dyers, although evidence shows that...
are also kept by the temple.
The wooden Amida statue is 77 cm in height, and though for a long time believed to date from the Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
(1185-1333), is now thought to have been carved somewhat earlier in the 12th century (Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, 794-1185). This change in dating came about with the comparison to Song dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
(960-1279) sculptures in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
Province which show strong similarities in style. Zenrin-ji's Amida statue was formally named an Important Cultural Property in 1999.
See also
- For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese BuddhismGlossary of Japanese BuddhismThis is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries...
. - List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-others)