![Daikakuji Shinkyoden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Daikakuji_Shinkyoden.jpg)
is a
Shingon Buddhist temple in
Ukyō-ku, a western
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
in the city of
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
,
Japan. The site was originally a residence of
Emperor Saga
was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.
Traditional narrative
Saga was the ...
(785–842 CE), and later various emperors conducted their
cloistered rule
was a form of government in Japan during the Heian period. In this bifurcated system, an emperor abdicated, but retained power and influence. Those retired emperors who withdrew to live in monasteries (''in'') continued to act in ways intended to ...
from here. The ''
Saga Go-ryū
is a school of ''ikebana'', the Japanese traditional art of flower arrangement. The school is also known as ''Saga-ryū''.
History
The history goes back to Emperor Saga, who ruled from 809-823 CE during the Heian period. The emperor resided at ...
'' school of
ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Japan ...
has its headquarters in the temple. The artificial lake of the temple, Ōsawa Pond, is one of the oldest
Japanese garden
are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...
ponds to survive from 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 ...
.
History
![Emperor Saga large](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Emperor_Saga_large.jpg)
The origins of the temple dates back to 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 ...
in the year 814 CE, when
Emperor Saga
was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.
Traditional narrative
Saga was the ...
had a palace, known as the ''Saga-in'', constructed on the site. The palace later became his seat of retirement, known as ''Saga Rikyu'' imperial villa. According to tradition, when Japan suffered a serious epidemic, the Buddhist monk
Kobo Daishi, the founder of
Shingon Buddhism
Shingon monks at Mount Koya
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.
Kn ...
, suggested that the Emperor Saga personally copy an important Buddhist religious document called the Heart
Sutra (''Hannya Shingyō''). The emperor made a handwritten copy, and the epidemic is said to have ended. The handwritten sutra is kept at the ''Shingyōden'' hall of the temple, and is displayed to the public once every sixty years, the next time being in 2078. Pilgrims still come to the temple to make copies of the sutra, which are kept in the temple with the original.
In 876, thirty-four years after the death of Emperor Saga, his daughter Princess Masako (正子内親王; 810–879), who was consort of
Emperor Junna
was the 53rd emperor of Japan, Emperor Junna, Ōharano no Nishi no Minenoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Junna reigned from 823 to 833.
Traditional narrative
Junna had six empre ...
, turned the complex into a temple and gave it the name ''Daikaku-ji''. It was a ''
monzeki
''Monzeki'' (門跡) were Japanese Buddhist priests of aristocratic or imperial lineage. The term was also applied to the temples in which they lived.
An example of a ''monzeki'' temple is Daikaku-ji
is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Uky ...
'' temple (門跡), which means by tradition that only imperial princes were appointed abbot of the temple. Over the years, it became the retirement home of several emperors. In the 13th and 14th centuries the temple became the residence of retired emperors such as
Emperor Go-Saga
was the 88th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. This reign spanned the years 1242 through 1246.
This 13th-century sovereign was named after the 8th-century Emperor Saga and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as ...
,
Emperor Kameyama
was the 90th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1260 through 1274.
Genealogy
Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was .
He was t ...
and
Emperor Go-Uda
was the 91st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1274 through 1287.
This 13th-century sovereign was named after the 9th-century Emperor Uda and ''go-'' (後), translates literall ...
, who could be ordained as monks, but continued to wield power in what became known as
cloistered rule
was a form of government in Japan during the Heian period. In this bifurcated system, an emperor abdicated, but retained power and influence. Those retired emperors who withdrew to live in monasteries (''in'') continued to act in ways intended to ...
.
In 1336, during the upheaval between 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
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 ...
, the temple burned down, but was later rebuilt. During the
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...
,
Emperor Go-Mizunoo
was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and was the first emperor to reign entirely during the Edo period.
This 17th-century sovereign was n ...
brought in Momoyama period buildings from the
Kyoto Imperial Palace
The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered in 1877. Today, the grounds are open t ...
. The temple was placed in a graveled courtyard next to the pond.
The ''hondō'', or main hall, and the Founder's Hall were also moved from the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The main images are of the
Five Wisdom Kings
A Wisdom King (Sanskrit: विद्याराज; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Vidyārāja'', ) is a type of Wrathful deities, wrathful deity in East Asian Buddhism.
Whereas the Sanskrit name is translated lite ...
, centered on
Fudō.
The sliding door painting in the ''Okanmuri-no-ma'' room of the ''Shōshinden'' were painted by
Kanō Sanraku
was a Japanese painter also known as Kimura Heizō (his birth name), Shūri, Mitsuyori, and Sanraku. Sanraku's works combine the forceful quality of Momoyama work with the tranquil depiction of nature, and they have a more refined use of color ...
and
Shikō Watanabe. They feature peony trees and red and white plum blossoms. The hawk painted with Indian ink is a unique motif. The wooden beam above the doors has a painting of a hare. All these works of art are designated as
Important Cultural Properties.
Tsujii Kōshū (辻井弘洲) (born 1872), who was one of Ohara Unshin's disciples from the
Ohara-ryū
is a school of ''Ikebana'', or Japanese floral art.
History
Ohara Unshin (小原雲心) (1861–1916) started his own Ikebana school in 1895 when Japan opened up its economy to the West and began to import European flowers. The official foun ...
school of ''
ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Japan ...
'', established his own school in the early part of the
Taishō era
The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of ...
. He was invited by Daikaku-ji to set up the
Saga Go-ryū
is a school of ''ikebana'', the Japanese traditional art of flower arrangement. The school is also known as ''Saga-ryū''.
History
The history goes back to Emperor Saga, who ruled from 809-823 CE during the Heian period. The emperor resided at ...
school in 1936.
Pond and garden
![Osawaike spring Kyoto 001 JPN](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Osawaike_spring_Kyoto_001_JPN.jpg)
The Ōsawa Pond is older than the temple itself. It is an artificial lake of 2.4 hectares that was created by Emperor Saga, either during his reign (809-823) or between his retirement from power and his death in 842. The pond is supposed to reflect the outlines of
Dongting Lake
Dongting Lake () is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province, China. It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River, so its volume depends on the season. The provinces of Hubei and Hunan are named after their location relative to the la ...
in China, which has a special significance in Chinese culture. It was an imperial garden of the style known as ''chisen-shuyu'': a garden meant to be seen from a boat, similar to the Imperial
Chinese garden of the period. The lake was created by damming a stream which came from the Nakoso waterfall. At the north end of the pond are two islands, one large and one small - the small island being known as Chrysanthmum Island. Between the two islands are several small rocky islets, meant to resemble Chinese junks at anchor. On a hillside north of the lake is what appears to be a dry cascade (''karedaki''), a kind of
Japanese rock garden or zen garden, where a real waterfall is suggested by a composition of stones.
The garden was celebrated in the poetry of the period. A poem by
Ki no Tomonori
Ki no Tomonori (紀 友則) (c. 850 – c. 904) was an early Heian ''waka'' poet of the court, a member of the ''sanjūrokkasen'' or Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. He was a compiler of the '' Kokin Wakashū'', though he certainly did not see it to ...
in an anthology from the period, the ''
Kokinshū'', described the ''Kiku-shima'', or island of chrysanthemums, found in the Ōsawa pond.
:I had thought that here
:only one chrysanthemum can grow.
:Who therefore has planted
:the other in the depths
:of the pond of Ōsawa?
Another poem of the Heian period, in the ''
Hyakunin isshu
is a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese ''waka'' by one hundred poets. ''Hyakunin isshu'' can be translated to "one hundred people, one poem ach; it can also refer to the card game of ''uta-garuta'', which uses a deck compos ...
,'' described a cascade of rocks, which simulated a waterfall, in the same garden:
:The cascade long ago
:ceased to roar,
:But we continue to hear
:The murmur
:of its name.
The pond and the flowers are therefore by tradition to said to be the birthplace of the Saga school of ikebana, which is named in honour of the emperor.
The lake was created as a particularly good place for viewing the rising of the moon from boats. It also became, and remains, a popular place for viewing the cherry trees in bloom around the lake. A moon-viewing party is held in the garden every autumn for three days, around the date of the harvest moon; it features costumed dancers and musicians and dragon boats in the style of the Heian period. Today the lake is a popular park for the city's residents.
In addition to the garden around the lake, there is a large courtyard garden between the buildings of the temple.
[Young and Young, pp. 72–73.]
See also
*
Rokkaku-dō
The , official name , is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, said to have been established by Prince Shōtoku. The name comes from its main hall's hexagonal shape. This temple is part of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage.
History
Rokkaku-dō is belie ...
*
Enshō-ji (Nara)
*
List of Buddhist temples in Kyoto
There are 1,600 Buddhist temples scattered throughout the prefecture of Kyoto.
Nara period in Kyoto (710-794)
* , also known as or .
* Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple
Heian period in Kyoto (794-1229)
* , also known as the .Ponsonby-Fane, p. 11 ...
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
The term " National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897.
The definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term. These ancient documents adhere to the current definition, and have be ...
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
Lists of National Treasures of Japan cover different types of National Treasure of Japan. They include buildings and fine arts and crafts.
Buildings and structures
* List of National Treasures of Japan (castles), for structures that are part of ...
* For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the
Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
This is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual (or brand-new) 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 galle ...
.
Notes
References
*David and Michiko Young, (2005) ''The Art of the Japanese Garden'', Tuttle publishers, Singapore, ()
*Nitschke, Gunter, (1999) ''Le Jardin japonais - Angle droit et forme naturelle'', Taschen publishers, Paris (translated from German into French by Wolf Fruhtrunk), ()
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869.'' Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society.
External links
旧嵯峨御所 大覚寺 門跡Kyū Sagano Gosho Dakaku-ji Monzeki(in Japanese)
Saga Goryūschool of ikebana (in Japanese)
* Kyoto National Museu
{{Authority control
876 establishments
Buddhist temples in Kyoto
Historic Sites of Japan
Imperial residences in Japan
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
Religious organizations established in the 9th century
Shingon Buddhism
9th-century establishments in Japan
9th-century Buddhist temples
Monzeki