is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

in the city of Konan, Shiga Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It belongs to the

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...

school of Japanese Buddhism. Its main image is a ''

hibutsu are Japanese Buddhist icons or statues concealed from public view. ''Hibutsu'' are generally located within Buddhist temples in shrines called . They are generally unavailable for viewing or worship, although they are brought out for specific rel ...

'' statue of Jizō Bosatsu. Its

Hondō Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...

is a

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

.:Shiga Prefecture List of Cultural Properties
It is also referred to as , whereas the temple of is referred to as .

History

The history of Chōjū-ji is uncertain, as the documentary evidence of its foundation has been lost. The temple's legend states that it was founded by

Rōben (689 – 773), also known as Ryōben, was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Kegon sect, and clerical founder of the Tōdai-ji temple in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. He is popularly known as the . His life spanned the late Asuka period (538 &nd ...

at the request of

Emperor Shōmu was the 45th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period. Traditional narrative Be ...

during the Tenpyō era (729-749), into order to project the spiritually vulnerable northeastern quadrant from Shigaraki Palace, and also in hopes that he would conceive an heir. In response to this, his consort gave birth to a princess, later known as

Empress Kōken , also known as , was the 46th (with the name Empress Kōken) and the 48th monarch of Japan (with the name Empress Shōtoku), Emperor Kōnin, Takano Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. ...

. The temple was a substantial establishment with 24 chapels and it was named "Chōjū-ji" as a prayer for the longevity of the princess. A statue of Jizō Bosatsu was carved by Gyōki as the temple's main image. The Hondō was destroyed in a fire during the Jōgan period (859-877) but was soon rebuilt. The temple was patronized by Minamoto no Yoritomo in the

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 ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

and the Ashikaga clan during the

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 (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

. In the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

had the temple's Three-story Pagoda relocated to Sōken-ji near Azuchi Castle, where it remains to this day. The

Rōmon The is one of two types of two-storied gate used in Japan (the other one being the ''nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shin ...

was likewise relocated by Nobunaga to a temple called Rendai-ji in what is now Rittō, Shiga, but neither the gate nor the temple have survived. The temple is seven-minutes by car from

Ishibe Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Konan, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Ishibe Station is served by the Kusatsu Line, and is 27.6 kilometers from the starting point of th ...

on the

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

Kusatsu Line The is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Tsuge on the Kansai Main Line with Kusatsu on the Biwako Line (Tōkaidō Main Line). History The Kansai Railway Co. opened the entire line ...

Cultural Properties

* The Main Hall (Hondō) of Chōjū-ji was built towards the end of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

or the start of the

. As all documentation has been lost, the exact date is not certain. It is a five by five bay, single-story, ''yosemune'' style structure with a three- ken step canopy, and

hinoki cypress ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and orname ...

bark shingled roof. The building was designated a National Treasure in 1953. * Benten-dō; late Muromachi period (dated 1550), a one x one bay chapel The temple also has a number of statues which are National Important Cultural Properties * Amida Nyōrai, Heian-period * Amida Nyōrai, Heian-period * Shaka Nyōrai, Heian period,

Gallery

Chôju-ji Plan.jpg, Hondō layout Chojuji03s3200.jpg, Benten-dō Chojuji09s3200.jpg, Belfry Chojuji12s3200.jpg, Stone Tahō-tō Tyoujuji_1.JPG, Sanmon Tyoujuji_3.JPG, Site of Three-story Pagoda

References

External links

Visitor's Guide
{{Buddhist temples in Japan Buddhist temples in Shiga Prefecture Tendai temples Konan, Shiga Ōmi Province 7th-century Buddhist temples National Treasures of Japan Buddhism in the Nara period

History

Cultural Properties

Gallery

See also

References

External links