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 repres ...
in the Eigenji-Takano neighborhood of the city of
Higashiōmi
Yōkaichi Kite Festival
is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 113,229 in 45771 households and a population density of 290 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Higashiōmi ...
,
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the north ...
,
Japan. It is the head temple of one of the 14 autonomous branches of the
Rinzai
The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan ...
school of
Japanese Zen
History
Eigen-ji was founded in 1361 by the famous
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
and
roshi Jakushitsu Genkō
was a Japanese Rinzai master, poet, flute player, and first abbot of Eigen-ji (constructed solely for him to teach Zen). His poetry is considered to be among the finest of Zen poetry. He traveled to China and studied Ch'an with masters of the L ...
under the sponsorship of the ''
shugo
, commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...
'' of
Ōmi Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. Its nickname is . Under the '' Engishiki'' classification system, Ōmi was ranked as one of the 13 "great countr ...
, Sasaki Ujinori. At its head, the temple had over 2000 priests and 56 chapels on the mountainside. During the
Onin War Onin may refer to:
* Ōnin, a Japanese era
** Ōnin War
* Onin peninsula, on the Bomberai Peninsula of Indonesian Papua
* Onin language
Onin is a minor Austronesian language of the Onin Peninsula Onin may refer to:
* Ōnin, a Japanese era
** ...
, many priests from the
Kyoto Gozan temple sought sanctuary at Eigen-ji; however, the temple burned down in 1492 and again in 1563 and fell into decline afterwards. According to a tradition in
Inabe
260px, Mount Ryu and Mount Fujiwara with Sunflower field
is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 43,114 in 17314 households and a population density of 200 persons per km². The total area of the cit ...
city in
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...
, a priest from Eigen-ji escaped over the
Suzuka Mountains into
Ise Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .
History
The name of Ise appears ...
bearing the temple's treasures when the temple was destroyed by
Takigawa Kazumasa on orders of
Oda Nobunaga in 1570; however, there are no records of such an event at Eigen-ji itself.
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 ...
, the temple was revived by an abbot named
Isshi Bunshu from
Myōshin-ji
is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The Myōshin-ji school is by far the largest school in Rinzai Zen, approximately as big as the other thirteen branches combined: it contains wit ...
in Kyoto, under the sponsorship of
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 ...
, his consort
Tofukumon-in and
Hikone Domain
was a '' fudai'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in eastern Ōmi Province, in the Kansai region of central Honshu. The domain was centered at Hikone Castle, located in what is now the city of ...
. IN 1873, he joined the
Tofuku-ji subject of the Rinzai school, but became an independent branch in 1880.
Present day
Today it is the head temple of the Eigen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen and governs more than 120 temples and one monastery.
[Dumoulin, 205][Head Temples] The temple is a noted spot for
hanami
is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...
in spring, with a variant of the
sakura known as the "Eigenji-zakura", and for viewing of maple leaves in the autumn.
Gallery
Eigen-ji (Rinzai temple) - front area landscaping.jpg
Eigen-ji (Rinzai temple) - front area.jpg
Eigen-ji (Rinzai temple) landscape.jpg
Eigen-ji (Rinzai temple) landscape1.jpg
Eigen-ji (Rinzai temple) landscape2.jpg
Eigenji temple, 永源寺 - panoramio.jpg, Sanmon
See also
* 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 ...
.
*
The 100 Views of Nature in Kansai This is a list of 100 views of nature decided upon by the "Kansai Global Environment Forum" in Japan for their natural beauty, history and cultural significance.
Summary
See also
* List of Historic Sites of Japan (Ōsaka)
References
{{reflist
...
References
*
External links
*
Shiga-Biwako Tourist Information
Notes
{{Authority control
Buddhist temples in Shiga Prefecture
Eigen-ji temples
Higashiōmi