Myoho–ji
Encyclopedia
is a Buddhist temple of the Nichiren
sect in Kamakura, Kanagawa
, Japan. It is one of a group of three built near the site in Matsubagayatsu, or the , where Nichiren
, founder of the Buddhist sect that bears his name, is supposed to have had his hut. The temple has also close ties with Prince Morinaga
and the Imperial House
.
. Founder Nichiren
was not born there: he came from Awa Province
, in today's Chiba Prefecture
, and had come to Kamakura because at the time the city was the cultural and political center of the country. He built himself a hut in the Matsubagayatsu district where three temples (Ankokuron-ji
, Myōhō–ji, and Chōshō-ji
), have been fighting for centuries for the honor of being his sole heir. All three say they lie on the very spot where he used to have his hut, however none of them can prove its claims. The Shinpen Kamakurashi
, a guide book to Kamakura commissioned by Tokugawa Mitsukuni
in 1685, already mentions a strained relationship between Myōhō–ji and Chōshō-ji. However, when the two temples finally went to court, with a sentence emitted in 1787 by the shogunate's tribunals Myōhō–ji won the right to claim to be the place where Nichiren had his hermitage. It appears that Ankokuron-ji did not participate in the trial because the government's official position was that Nichiren had his first hut there, when he first arrived in Kamakura, but that he made another near Myōhō–ji after he came back from his exile in Izu
in 1263.
According to the temple's records, Nichiren first settled down here in 1253 and left for Minobu
in 1272. Every year in August a special ceremony called is held at the temple to commemorate the so-called "Matsubagayatsu Persecution", an episode in which Nichiren had to hide from his persecutors in the forest near Nagoe, towards Zushi
, and was fed with ginger by a white monkey. Not only does the temple claim to have the ruins of the hut in which he used to live, but the very path Nichiren is supposed to have taken to escape to Nagoe leaves the temple from above the hill behind the main hall.
and the temple's fifth chief abbot. Nichiei was a natural son of Prince Morinaga
, and for this reason he rebuilt the temple in 1357 dedicating it to his father. Nichiei was born from a woman called Minami no Ōnkata, who attended the prince while he was a prisoner of the Ashikaga
in the cave now at Kamakura-gū
. He and his mother are buried within the temple, while Prince Morinaga's grave is in nearby Nikaidō
. Nichiei installed two cenotaphs in memory of his parents on top of the hill behind the main hall. During the Edo period
the temple was protected and maintained by the Tokugawa
and their vassals. The temple is supposed to have been entrusted to Nichiei by Nichiren himself.
The building to the left of the main hall is called Daigakuden, and hosts statues of Shaka Nyorai, Katō Kiyomasa
and Inari
Myōjin, the kami
of harvests.
The Niō
gate behind them leads to the 50-step mossy stairway which today is the temple's main claim to fame, and which has gained it the above mentioned nickname "Kokedera". At the bottom of the stairs are two caves, of which one hosts a statue of Nichiren, while the other is a mausoleum to many of the priests that have lived here. Above the mossy stairs there is a third building called Hokkedō, or Hall of Scriptures.
Above the Hokkedō stands a monument, erected by the temple in the spot where allegedly Nichiren had his hut. As already mentioned, the exact point where the hut really stood has been the subject of much controversy for the past few centuries. Its plaque (in Japanese) reads:
Further on are the temple's bronze bell and the cenotaphs to Prince Morinaga and his wife. The plaque next to Prince Morinaga's cenotaph (in Japanese) reads:
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
sect in Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, Japan. It is one of a group of three built near the site in Matsubagayatsu, or the , where Nichiren
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
, founder of the Buddhist sect that bears his name, is supposed to have had his hut. The temple has also close ties with Prince Morinaga
Prince Morinaga
was a son of Emperor Go-Daigo and Minamoto no Chikako executed by Ashikaga Tadayoshi in 1335.When Moriyoshi was 18, Go-Daigo had him named the head abbot of the Enryakuji temple on Mount Hiei....
and the Imperial House
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
.
Nichiren, Matsubagayatsu and Myōhō–ji
Kamakura is known for having been in the 13th century the cradle of Nichiren BuddhismNichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
. Founder Nichiren
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
was not born there: he came from Awa Province
Awa Province
Awa Province may refer to:* Awa Province in modern-day Chiba Prefecture* Awa Province in modern-day Tokushima Prefecture...
, in today's Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, and had come to Kamakura because at the time the city was the cultural and political center of the country. He built himself a hut in the Matsubagayatsu district where three temples (Ankokuron-ji
Ankokuron-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Nichiren sect in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. It is one of a group of three built near the site in Matsubagayatsu , have been fighting for centuries for the honor of being the sole heir of the master. All three say they lie on the very spot where he used to have his hut,...
, Myōhō–ji, and Chōshō-ji
Chosho-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Nichiren sect in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. It's one of a group of three built near the site in Matsubagayatsu , the second is an alternative reading of the characters for Nagakatsu, the founder's first name....
), have been fighting for centuries for the honor of being his sole heir. All three say they lie on the very spot where he used to have his hut, however none of them can prove its claims. The Shinpen Kamakurashi
Shinpen Kamakurashi
The is an Edo period compendium of topographic, geographic and demographic data concerning the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and its vicinities. Consisting of eight volumes and commissioned in 1685 by Tokugawa Mitsukuni to three vassals, it contains for example information about...
, a guide book to Kamakura commissioned by Tokugawa Mitsukuni
Tokugawa Mitsukuni
or was a prominent daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa and succeeded him, becoming the second daimyo of the Mito domain....
in 1685, already mentions a strained relationship between Myōhō–ji and Chōshō-ji. However, when the two temples finally went to court, with a sentence emitted in 1787 by the shogunate's tribunals Myōhō–ji won the right to claim to be the place where Nichiren had his hermitage. It appears that Ankokuron-ji did not participate in the trial because the government's official position was that Nichiren had his first hut there, when he first arrived in Kamakura, but that he made another near Myōhō–ji after he came back from his exile in Izu
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
in 1263.
According to the temple's records, Nichiren first settled down here in 1253 and left for Minobu
Minobu, Yamanashi
is a town located in Minamikoma District, Yamanashi, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 7,672 and a density of 58.51 persons per km²...
in 1272. Every year in August a special ceremony called is held at the temple to commemorate the so-called "Matsubagayatsu Persecution", an episode in which Nichiren had to hide from his persecutors in the forest near Nagoe, towards Zushi
Zushi, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 58,793 and a population density of 3,390 persons per km². The total area was 17.34 km².-Geography:...
, and was fed with ginger by a white monkey. Not only does the temple claim to have the ruins of the hut in which he used to live, but the very path Nichiren is supposed to have taken to escape to Nagoe leaves the temple from above the hill behind the main hall.
History of the temple
The site was originally occupied by a temple called , which was later transferred to Kyoto. Its first chief abbots were men from important families, and one of them was Nichiro, better known as Nichiei, the name he assumed when he became a priest, who was an uncle of Ashikaga TakaujiAshikaga Takauji
was the founder and first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358...
and the temple's fifth chief abbot. Nichiei was a natural son of Prince Morinaga
Prince Morinaga
was a son of Emperor Go-Daigo and Minamoto no Chikako executed by Ashikaga Tadayoshi in 1335.When Moriyoshi was 18, Go-Daigo had him named the head abbot of the Enryakuji temple on Mount Hiei....
, and for this reason he rebuilt the temple in 1357 dedicating it to his father. Nichiei was born from a woman called Minami no Ōnkata, who attended the prince while he was a prisoner of the Ashikaga
Ashikaga clan
The ' was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke province .For about a century the clan was...
in the cave now at Kamakura-gū
Kamakura-gu
is a shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was erected by Emperor Meiji in 1869 to worship the spirit of Prince Morinaga, who was imprisoned and later executed where the shrine now stands in 1335...
. He and his mother are buried within the temple, while Prince Morinaga's grave is in nearby Nikaidō
Nikaido
Nikaido is a Japanese surname, and may refer to:* The Nikaidō clan, a family of Japanese daimyo* Nikaidō, an administrative division of Kamakura, Kanagawa* Miho Nikaido, a Japanese actress* Yukari Nikaido, a Japanese singer...
. Nichiei installed two cenotaphs in memory of his parents on top of the hill behind the main hall. During the Edo period
Edo period
The , 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....
the temple was protected and maintained by the Tokugawa
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
and their vassals. The temple is supposed to have been entrusted to Nichiei by Nichiren himself.
Main features
The main hall near the entrance contains, among other things, a small bone fragment said to be a relic of Nichiren and an effigy of Prince Morinaga. Like all other buildings of the complex, it is always closed to the public.The building to the left of the main hall is called Daigakuden, and hosts statues of Shaka Nyorai, Katō Kiyomasa
Kato Kiyomasa
was a Japanese daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo period.-Origins and early career:Kiyomasa was born in Owari Province to Katō Kiyotada. Kiyotada's wife, Ito, was a cousin of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mother. Kiyotada died while his son was still young...
and Inari
Inari
Inari may refer to:* Inari , a Shinto spirit** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari* Inari Sami, one of the Sami languages...
Myōjin, the kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
of harvests.
The Niō
Nio
Kongōrikishi or Niō are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in China, Japan and Korea in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are manifestations of the Bodhisattva ' protector deity and are part of the...
gate behind them leads to the 50-step mossy stairway which today is the temple's main claim to fame, and which has gained it the above mentioned nickname "Kokedera". At the bottom of the stairs are two caves, of which one hosts a statue of Nichiren, while the other is a mausoleum to many of the priests that have lived here. Above the mossy stairs there is a third building called Hokkedō, or Hall of Scriptures.
Above the Hokkedō stands a monument, erected by the temple in the spot where allegedly Nichiren had his hut. As already mentioned, the exact point where the hut really stood has been the subject of much controversy for the past few centuries. Its plaque (in Japanese) reads:
Nichiren's Matsubagayatsu's Hut
In 1253 Nichiren founded Nichiren Buddhism at Awa provinceAwa ProvinceAwa Province may refer to:* Awa Province in modern-day Chiba Prefecture* Awa Province in modern-day Tokushima Prefecture...
's and, in the summer of the same year, he came to Kamakura's Nagoe，made his hut, chanted the Daimoku, and wrote his Risshō Ankokuron. From here he spread his new religion until 1271.
Further on are the temple's bronze bell and the cenotaphs to Prince Morinaga and his wife. The plaque next to Prince Morinaga's cenotaph (in Japanese) reads:
Morinaga Shinnō, son of Emperor Go-Daigo
Father of this temple’s fifth abbott Nichiei
He fought actively for the establishment of the Kenmu restoration and was nominated Seii Taishogun by his father, but was imprisoned in a cave in Kamakura’s Nikaidō. On August 12, 1335 (second year of the Kenmu era, 23rd day of the seventh month), his tormented life was violently ended. He was 28. The tombs of Minami no Ōnkata, Nichiei’s wife, and of Nichiei’s himself are also within this temple.
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...
.