Zuisen-ji
Encyclopedia
is a Buddhist temple
of the Rinzai sect in Nikaidō
's near Kamakura
, Japan. During the Muromachi period
it was the family temple
of the Ashikaga rulers of Kamakura (the Kantō kubō
): four of the five kubō are buried there in a private cemetery closed to the public and first kubō Ashikaga Motouji
's is also known with the name . Designed by prominent Zen religious figure, poet and Zen garden designer Musō Soseki
(also known as Musō Kokushi), the temple lies on top of an isolated hill and is famous for both its garden and its Zen rock garden. The beauty and the quantity of its plants have gained it since antiquity the nickname . The main object of worship is Jizō Bosatsu
. Zuisen-ji is an Historic Site and contains numerous objects classified as Important Cultural Properties and Places of Scenic Beauty.
in today's Yamanashi prefecture
, where Musō had spent his youth. The name of Dōun's family's had originally been Fujiwara, but was later changed to Nikaidō because the family mansion was in Nikaidō. It is likely that he helped Muso because his temple would be erected in the area that had given its name to his family.
Musō, who during his life had the support of powerful figures like Emperor Go-Toba
, ninth shikken
Hōjō Sadatoki
and eleventh shikken
Hōjō Takatoki
, chose this present location because he believed it was ideal for a Zen
temple. In 1326 he moved from a temple called Nanpō-in near Engaku-ji
to the Momijigayatsu Valley to direct the construction work. Founded in 1327 with the name , Zuisen-ji in its first version, completed in 1328, consisted of a temple to goddess Kannon (a Kannonden), a belvedere (the ) and a Zen garden. After the fall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333 Zuisen-ji came under the protection of the Ashikaga family. First Kantō kubō
Ashikaga Motouji, son of Ashikaga Takauji
, chose to be buried in it, thus starting a tradition. It was during that period and under his sponsorship that the name was changed and the temple assumed its finished form. In 1386 it was nominated first of the Kantō Jissetsu, a group of temples second in power only to the Five Mountain System
. At the peak of its power it had several subtemples, including one dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji's mother and another to Ashikaga Motouji, but none of them has survived. Zuisen-ji as a whole was an important center of development of the Literature of the Five Mountains
, and figures like Gidō Shūshin
lived and worked here.
During the Edo period Tokugawa Mitsukuni
had the temple restored and donated a wooden statue of Thousand-armed Kannon, Goddess of Mercy, meant to be housed in the belvedere as Zuisen-ji's main object of worship. The Shinpen Kamakurashi
, a 1685 guide book to Kamakura commissioned by Mitsukuni which had great impact on the city's history, was written at the belvedere by Kawai Tsunehisa, Matsumura Kiyoyuki and Rikiishi Tadakazu.
The original building has, like the others, been lost, but the statue survives and his housed in the main hall of the temple.
marking the spot where a temple called used to stand. It was there that fourth kubō Ashikaga Mochiuji
, who had rebelled against the shogunate, in 1439 made his last stand against shogun
Ashikaga Yoshinori
's forces, finally disemboweling himself to avoid the shame of being taken prisoner. He is buried together with three other kubō in a small cemetery within Zuisen-ji (closed to the public). The stele reads:
The temple's compound is now relatively small and its buildings are all new, with the exception of the , which was built during the early Edo period
and was brought here from Yokohama
's in 1963. The Henkai Ichirantei, the belvedere originally built by Musō Soseki from where one can see Mount Fuji
, is out of sight in the back, beyond the Zen rock garden, and is closed to visitors.
Behind the temple there's a group of about 80 yagura
, which are tombs typical of Kamakura consisting in caves dug in the rock. The group is known as the .
Behind the main hall, the Zen rock garden was designed by Musō Soseki and consists of a pond with an arched bridge, a waterfall, a small island and a cave. It used to be surrounded by plants, but they were removed in 1969 to create the present landscape, which is faithful to the original blueprints. The stairs visible in its background go to the Ichirantei. The garden is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. The extreme simplicity of the Zen garden contrasts with the garden in front of the main hall, which is considered the most beautiful in Kamakura.
The temple's cemetery houses the tombs of many famous men of letters and intellectuals.
Buddhist temples in Japan
Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
of the Rinzai sect in 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...
's near Kamakura
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. During the Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
it was the family temple
Bodaiji
A , in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their soul's favor. The name is because in Japan the term , which originally meant just Buddhist enlightenment , has also come to mean either the...
of the Ashikaga rulers of Kamakura (the Kantō kubō
Kanto kubo
was a title equivalent to shogun assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to Kantō kanrei, or deputy shogun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Motouji transferred his original title to the Uesugi family, which had previously held the hereditary title of , and would thereafter provide the Kantō...
): four of the five kubō are buried there in a private cemetery closed to the public and first kubō Ashikaga Motouji
Ashikaga Motouji
-See also:* Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods* The article Nanboku-chō period...
's is also known with the name . Designed by prominent Zen religious figure, poet and Zen garden designer Musō Soseki
Muso Soseki
was a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and teacher, and a calligraphist, poet and garden designer. The most famous monk of his time, he is also known as , a posthumous name given him by Emperor Go-Daigo...
(also known as Musō Kokushi), the temple lies on top of an isolated hill and is famous for both its garden and its Zen rock garden. The beauty and the quantity of its plants have gained it since antiquity the nickname . The main object of worship is Jizō Bosatsu
Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb"...
. Zuisen-ji is an Historic Site and contains numerous objects classified as Important Cultural Properties and Places of Scenic Beauty.
History
Musō Soseki was not only the temple's founding priest, but also its main designer. His sponsor, Nikaidō Dōun, was the lord of KaiKai, Yamanashi
is a city located in Yamanashi, Japan.As of March 1, 2010 the city has an estimated population of 74,196 with a population density of 1030 persons per km². The total area is 71.94 km²....
in today's Yamanashi prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, where Musō had spent his youth. The name of Dōun's family's had originally been Fujiwara, but was later changed to Nikaidō because the family mansion was in Nikaidō. It is likely that he helped Muso because his temple would be erected in the area that had given its name to his family.
Musō, who during his life had the support of powerful figures like Emperor Go-Toba
Emperor Go-Toba
was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198....
, ninth shikken
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
Hōjō Sadatoki
Hojo Sadatoki
was the ninth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate , and Tokuso from his appointment as regent until his death....
and eleventh shikken
Shikken
The was the regent for the shogun in the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. The post was monopolized by the Hōjō clan, and this system only existed once in Japanese history, between 1203 and 1333...
Hōjō Takatoki
Hojo Takatoki
Hōjō Takatoki was the last Tokuso and ruling Shikken of Japan's Kamakura shogunate; the latter ones were his puppets, a member of the Hōjō clan, he was the son of Hōjō Sadatoki, and was preceded as shikken by Hōjō Morotoki.Takatoki became regent at the age of eight, and thus actual power was...
, chose this present location because he believed it was ideal for a Zen
Zen
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...
temple. In 1326 he moved from a temple called Nanpō-in near Engaku-ji
Engaku-ji
right|thumb|A stone carvingNot to be confused with Enryaku-ji in Kyoto., or Engaku-ji , is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa prefecture to the south of Tokyo...
to the Momijigayatsu Valley to direct the construction work. Founded in 1327 with the name , Zuisen-ji in its first version, completed in 1328, consisted of a temple to goddess Kannon (a Kannonden), a belvedere (the ) and a Zen garden. After the fall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333 Zuisen-ji came under the protection of the Ashikaga family. First Kantō kubō
Kanto kubo
was a title equivalent to shogun assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to Kantō kanrei, or deputy shogun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Motouji transferred his original title to the Uesugi family, which had previously held the hereditary title of , and would thereafter provide the Kantō...
Ashikaga Motouji, son of Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga 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...
, chose to be buried in it, thus starting a tradition. It was during that period and under his sponsorship that the name was changed and the temple assumed its finished form. In 1386 it was nominated first of the Kantō Jissetsu, a group of temples second in power only to the Five Mountain System
Five Mountain System
The system, more commonly called simply Five Mountain System, was a network of state-sponsored Zen Buddhist temples created in China during the Southern Song Dynasty . The term "mountain" in this context means "temple" or "monastery", and was adopted because many monasteries were built on isolated...
. At the peak of its power it had several subtemples, including one dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji's mother and another to Ashikaga Motouji, but none of them has survived. Zuisen-ji as a whole was an important center of development of the Literature of the Five Mountains
Japanese Literature of the Five Mountains
The literature of the Five Mountains is the literature produced by the principal Zen monastic centers of the Rinzai sect in Kyoto and Kamakura, Japan. The term also refers to five Zen centers in China in Hangzhou and Ningpo that inspired zen in Japan. The term "mountain" refers to Buddhist monastery...
, and figures like Gidō Shūshin
Gido Shushin
, 1325–1388), Japanese luminary of the Zen Rinzai sect, was a master of poetry and prose in Chinese . Gidō’s own diary relates how as a child he discovered and treasured the Zen classic Rinzairoku in his father’s library. He was born in Tosa on the island of Shikoku and began formal study of...
lived and worked here.
During the Edo period 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....
had the temple restored and donated a wooden statue of Thousand-armed Kannon, Goddess of Mercy, meant to be housed in the belvedere as Zuisen-ji's main object of worship. 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 1685 guide book to Kamakura commissioned by Mitsukuni which had great impact on the city's history, was written at the belvedere by Kawai Tsunehisa, Matsumura Kiyoyuki and Rikiishi Tadakazu.
The original building has, like the others, been lost, but the statue survives and his housed in the main hall of the temple.
Features
Yōan-ji
The narrow road that turns right before the ticket counter leads to a steleStele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
marking the spot where a temple called used to stand. It was there that fourth kubō Ashikaga Mochiuji
Ashikaga Mochiuji
Ashikaga Mochiuji was the Kamakura-fu's fourth Kantō kubō during the Sengoku period in Japan. During his long and troubled rule the relationship between the west and the east of the country reached an all-time low. Kamakura was finally attacked by shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori and retaken by force...
, who had rebelled against the shogunate, in 1439 made his last stand against shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Ashikaga Yoshinori
Ashikaga Yoshinori
was the 6th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.-Shogunal succession:...
's forces, finally disemboweling himself to avoid the shame of being taken prisoner. He is buried together with three other kubō in a small cemetery within Zuisen-ji (closed to the public). The stele reads:
When Kantō kubō Ashikaga UjimitsuAshikaga Ujimitsuwas a Nanboku-chō period warrior and the Kamakura-fu's second Kantō Kubō, or Shogun Deputy. Son of first Kantō Kubō Ashikaga Motouji, he succeeded his father in 1367 at the age of nine when this last suddenly died during an epidemic. It was during his reign that the Kanto Kubō title became common...
died on January 11, 1398, he was given the posthumous namePosthumous nameA posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
. His son MitsukaneAshikaga Mitsukanewas a Nanboku-chō period warrior, and the Kamakura-fu's third Kantō Kubō, . Being the eldest son, he succeeded his father Ujimitsu in 1398 at the age of 21 when he died during an epidemic.. Like him, Mitsukane aspired more or less openly to the shogunate and, like him and his successors, failed to...
built this temple giving it his father's posthumous name. The temple's oshōOshoOshō is the Japanese reading of the Chinese he shang , meaning a high-ranking Buddhist monk or highly virtuous Buddhist monk. It is also a respectful designation for Buddhist monks in general and may be used with the suffix -san...
Dombo Ushūō was a follower of Musō Soseki. On March 24, 1439 kubō Mochiuji, descendant of Ujimitsu, fought here against shogun Yoshinori, was defeated and disemboweled himself. The temple was burned and never rebuilt. This is where it stood.
Erected by the Kamakuramachi Seinendan in March 1926
The temple
The path to the temple then starts to climb the hill and divides in two. The path to the right is the original one built by Musō Soseki, and at its beginning stands a brown stone stele that remembers the fact (see photo).The temple's compound is now relatively small and its buildings are all new, with the exception of the , which was built during the early 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....
and was brought here from Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
's in 1963. The Henkai Ichirantei, the belvedere originally built by Musō Soseki from where one can see Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
, is out of sight in the back, beyond the Zen rock garden, and is closed to visitors.
Behind the temple there's a group of about 80 yagura
Yagura (tombs)
are artificial caves used during the Middle Ages in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, as tombs and cenotaphs. It is likely that they were used only as tombs in the beginning, and that later they started being used as cenotaphs too. The dead are usually samurai, but priests and even artisans...
, which are tombs typical of Kamakura consisting in caves dug in the rock. The group is known as the .
Behind the main hall, the Zen rock garden was designed by Musō Soseki and consists of a pond with an arched bridge, a waterfall, a small island and a cave. It used to be surrounded by plants, but they were removed in 1969 to create the present landscape, which is faithful to the original blueprints. The stairs visible in its background go to the Ichirantei. The garden is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. The extreme simplicity of the Zen garden contrasts with the garden in front of the main hall, which is considered the most beautiful in Kamakura.
The temple's cemetery houses the tombs of many famous men of letters and intellectuals.
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...
.
External links
- Zen Buddhist Landscapes and the Idea of Temple: Muso Kokushi and Zuisen-Ji, Kamakura, Japan, by Norris Brock Johnson