is a Tendai

Tendai

is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...

 Buddhist temple

Temple

A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...

 in northeastern 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:...

, 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...

, established by Emperor Horikawa

Emperor Horikawa

was the 73rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Horikawa's reign spanned the years from 1087 through 1107.-Traditional narrative:...

 in fulfillment of a sacred vow. It is known as one of the , which encompass monasteries enjoying extravagant Imperial patronage from their inception. They are sometimes identified as the "Superlative Temples" or the "Shō Temples" because of the middle sylable of the temple name.

History

Sonshō-ji was founded in the early 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...

. Saishō-ji and the other Rokushō-ji

Rokusho-ji

is a collective name for six related Buddhist temples in northeastern Kyoto, Japan.Six independently constructed and endowed temples have come to be known collectively as the "Six Victorious Temples", encompassing monasteries which had each enjoyed extravagant Imperial patronage from their inception...

 establishments had a particular function within the Imperial . The Rokushō-ji were "sacred vow temples" (gogan-ji) built by imperial command following a precedent established by Emperor Shirakawa's
Hosshō-ji. Although these temple complexes were ostensibly established for a presumptively pious purpose,

the relationship of Emperors Shirakawa, Toba, Sutoku, and Konoe with Hosshō-ji and the other "imperial vow" temples and with the imperial residences that adjoined the temple complexes is quite revealinq. Clearly the temples were not built simply as acts of piety but as ways of protecting estate income and a certain style of life. Evidently the building of new temples could serve as a coercive device to extract support from other kuge

Kuge

The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo...

families and to justify the use of public taxes for the benefit of members of the imperial-house, the religious intent giving support to the political interest.

The Rokushō-ji were also called the six "Superiority Temples;" and each were uniquely dedicated to an aspect of esoteric Buddhist ontology

Ontology

Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of being, existence or reality as such, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations...

, as in

• the "Superiority of Buddhist Law" --

, founded by Emperor Shirakawa

Emperor Shirakawa

was the 72nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shirakawa's reign lasted from 1073 to 1087.-Genealogy:Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Sadahito-shinnō ....

 in 1077.

• the "Superiority of Worship" --

Sonshō-ji, founded by Emperor Horikawa

Emperor Horikawa

was the 73rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Horikawa's reign spanned the years from 1087 through 1107.-Traditional narrative:...

 (Shirakawa's son) in 1102.

• the "Most Superior" --

, founded by Emperor Toba

Emperor Toba

was the 74th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123.- Genealogy :...

 (Shirakawa's grandson) in 1118.

• the "Superiority of Perfection" --

, founded by Imperial consort Taiken-mon'in (Shirakawa's adopted daughter and the mother of Emperor Sutoku) in 1128.

• the "Superiority of Becoming" --

, founded by Emperor Sutoku

Emperor Sutoku

was the 75th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Sutoku's reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142.-Genealogy:Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Akihito ....

 (Shirakawa's great-grandson) in 1139.

• the "Superiority of Duration" --

, founded by Emperor Konoe

Emperor Konoe

was the 76th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Konoe's reign spanned the years from 1142 through 1155.-Genealogy:...

 (Shirakawa's great-grandson) in 1149.

Construction of the main Amitabha Hall at Sonshō-ji in Kyoto took two years.

See also

• List of Buddhist temples in Kyoto
• For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  This 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...
  
  .