is a temple of the Jōdo Shinshū

Jodo Shinshu

, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...

 (Pure Land

Pure Land Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism , also referred to as Amidism in English, is a broad branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism and currently one of the most popular traditions of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land is a branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha...

) school of Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

. It is located in Takachiho Town

Takachiho, Miyazaki

is a town located in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.-Geography:Takachiho is located in the northernmost part of Miyazaki Prefecture, bordering Kumamoto Prefecture on its north and northwest sides and Oita Prefecture on its north and northeast sides. The Gokase River flows from the...

, Miyazaki

Miyazaki Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....

, on Kyūshū

Kyushu

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

's southernmost main island.

The Shonen-ji temple complex is situated at the base of Genbuzan mountain, about 12 km outside central Takachiho. It was established there in 1578 by Tanio Yoshimura following the destruction of Genbu-jo, the Yoshimura clan's castle. Genbu-jo was burned and the principal Yoshimura family members killed when the Christian daimyo

Daimyo

is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

, Ōtomo Sōrin

Otomo Sorin

, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige and Ōtomo Yoshishige , was a Japanese feudal lord of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Christianity. The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the domain of Funai, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father...

, invaded from Bungo Province

Bungo Province

was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:...

 in the north. According to temple records, Tanio Yoshimura experienced a revelation following the loss of the castle and then committed himself and his successors to a religious life in atonement for the many deaths that had occurred.

In accordance with Jōdo Shinshū tradition, the position of head priest at Shonen-ji is hereditary through the eldest son. The present head priest, Junsho Yoshimura (b. 1958), is the seventeenth generation of his family to serve at Shonen-ji. Shonen-ji is unique (June 2011) among Japanese temples in that the English wife of the head priest is herself an ordained Kiyoshi (senior priest).

In May 2006, Shonen-ji established a branch temple in the Kishinoue section of central Takachiho. The Kishinoue Kaikan (see image below) includes a meeting hall, a mausoleum, and an English school.

Takachiho-cho

• A stands at the main entrance to the temple. In 1978, a new bell was installed to mark the 400th anniversary of Shonen-ji's founding. The tower itself was rebuilt as a 3x2 ken
  Ken (architecture)
  A is a measurement in Japanese architecture. It has two principal uses:* As a proportion for intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. The word is translated in this case in English as "bay". Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5...
  
   (bay) structure in 1986.
• Shonen-ji's measures 7x7 ken
  Ken (architecture)
  A is a measurement in Japanese architecture. It has two principal uses:* As a proportion for intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. The word is translated in this case in English as "bay". Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5...
  
   (bays). The hall has been destroyed by fire twice in its history. The present structure dates from the early 20th century.
• Nokotsu-dō (Mausoleum) 3x2 ken
  Ken (architecture)
  A is a measurement in Japanese architecture. It has two principal uses:* As a proportion for intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. The word is translated in this case in English as "bay". Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5...
  
  
• Kaikan (Meeting Hall). Opened in December 2000.
• Community Hall

Central Takachiho

• Kishinoue Kaikan (Branch temple, mausoleum, and English school) in the Kishinoue section of central Takachiho.

External links

• Shonen-ji Temple, Takachiho - Official Site
• Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha - Official Site
• National Temple Information Shonen-ji page
• Takachiho Tourism Site