Daruma-ji ( ja, 達磨寺, lit=Daruma Temple, links=no, also called Daruma-dera) is a

Zen Buddhist Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

temple in the city of Ōji in the Kitakatsuragi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan and is one of the 28

historical Sites of Prince Shōtoku The Historical Sites of Prince Shōtoku (聖徳太子御遺跡霊場, ''Shōtoku taishi goiseki reijō'') are a group of 28 Buddhist temples in Japan related to the life of Prince Shōtoku , also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a ...

History

The founding of the temple is associated with an event recorded in the 8th century work '' Nihon Shoki''. In Book XXII,

Prince Shōtoku , also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half-s ...

met a man in December 613. The man was starving, and Prince Shōtoku tried to feed him and give him aid, but the man died of hunger and Prince Shōtoku had a ''

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

'' built for him. Days later, Prince Shōtoku declared that the man was a sage and had a messenger inspect the tomb, which was undisturbed but empty when opened. In ''Nihon Shoki'' the sage is unnamed, but was later attributed as Daruma ( ja, 達磨, lit=

Bodhidharma Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to a 17th century apo ...

, links=no). The Daruma-ji temple was built at the ''kofun'' in the early 13th century during 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 ...

. The temple was razed in the early 14th century by Buddhists who opposed the spread of the Zen school in Japan. It was rebuilt in 1430 under the direction of

Ashikaga Yoshinori was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His childhood name was Harutor ...

. The temple was burned down by

Matsunaga Hisahide Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide (松永弾正久秀 1508 – November 19, 1577) was a ''daimyō'' and head of the Yamato Matsunaga clan in Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Biography He was a retainer of Miyoshi Nagayoshi fro ...

in the 16th century during 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 ...

, and subsequently rebuilt by the order of

Emperor Ōgimachi was the 106th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from November 17, 1557, to his abdication on December 17, 1586, corresponding to the transition between the Sengoku period and the Azuchi–Momoyama per ...

Cultural artifacts

Daruma-ji has a statue memorializing Prince Shōtoku's dog Yukimaru, who was said to be able to understand speech and could read Buddhist writings. Yukimaru's association with Daruma-ji inspired the city of Ōji to use Yukimaru as the ''

Yuru-chara is a Japanese term for a category of mascot characters; usually created to promote a place or region, event, organisation or business. They are characterized by their ''kawaii'' (cute) and unsophisticated designs, often incorporating motifs that ...

'' (mascot) for the city beginning in 2013. Daruma-ji has several artifacts that are designated as cultural properties. The '' hōjō'' was constructed in 1667 and became a prefecture-designated tangible cultural property in 1989. The ''Daruma-ji Chukoki Sekido'' ( ja, 達磨寺中興記石幢, lit=Stone Column Recording the Revival of Daruma-ji, links=no) is a stone monument erected in 1448, describing the restoration of the temple 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 ...

, which was supported by the Muromachi ''

bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

''. The stone became a nationally designated important cultural property in 1923. In 2000, a stone was found in the base of the Chukoki stone which was inscribed in 1442, along with a

Bizen ware is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Bizen province, presently a part of Okayama prefecture. History Bizen ware was traditionally produced in and around the village of Imbe in Bizen province, from where it received its name. It ...

pot and an incense burner that were subsequently assigned as nationally designated cultural properties. The temple has a wooden seated statue of Daruma, made in 1430 and commissioned by Ashikaga Yoshinori, that was designated as an important cultural property in 1909. The temple also has a wooden seated statue of Prince Shōtoku that was designated as an important cultural property in 1923. A pair of paintings at the temple, one of Prince Shōtoku and one of Daruma, are designated as important cultural property along with a

silk painting Silk painting refers to paintings on silk. They are a traditional way of painting in Asia. Methods vary, but using traditional supplies of 100% silk fabric, stretched in a frame, and applying textile paints or dyes are the beginnings of an amazing ...

of the Buddha's death. The silk painting was originally held by the temple and is now held at the

Nara National Museum The is one of the pre-eminent national art museums in Japan. Introduction The Nara National Museum is located in Nara, Nara, Nara, which was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. Katayama Tōkuma (1854–1917) designed the original building, whi ...

. A wooden seated statue of ''

Senju Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

'' created during the Muromachi period was designated a tangible cultural property in 2005.

References

External links

* (Japanese) {{Buddhist temples in Japan Buddhist temples in Nara Prefecture