is a　temple belonging 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 Buddhism. It is located in

Chōfu is a city in the western side of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km². the total area of the city is . Geography Chōfu is approximately in the south-center of ...

Tokyo Prefecture Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

History

The foundation of Jindai-ji goes back many centuries. In the context of esoteric Buddhism (), the name of the temple refers to the saint of water, Jinja Daiō (). According to the temple tradition, the daughter of Sato Osaukon (郷長右近) fell in love with a man named Fukuman (福満) in the area. Her mother was against the marriage, so Fukuman prayed to Jinja Daiō, and the mother finally acceded to the marriage. In gratitude, the daughter is said to have founded the temple in Tempyō 5 (733) in order to pay gratitude and worship Jinja Daiō there. In the Jōgan era (859–877) the temple is said to have followed the Tendai school of Buddhism. The principal figure of veneration in the temple is the Amida Buddha.

Temple grounds

The temple is bordered in a semicircular shape by a hill to the northeast. A staircase leads to the temple and it is entered through the temple gate (; map: 1). The original gate was lost in a fire in 1695 and was rebuilt in the Yakui style. After passing the gate, the temple bell (, map: 4) can be see on the right, and ahead the main hall (; map: 2). The main hall was lost in a major fire in the middle of the 19th century, and was eventually rebuilt in the first half of the 20th century. In 2003 the roof was rebuilt, using copper plates in the shape of bricks, instead of actual bricks. To the left of the main hall, and set back, is the '' 'Gansandaishidō' '' (; map: 3), which was popular in 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 characteriz ...

, for praying for good fortune in life. In 1900, a group of sculptures of a seated Shaka Buddha with two companions made of bronze with gold traces () was discovered underneath the hall, for which a separate building, the Shakadō (; map: 5) was built. The sculptures, the '' 'Three Hakuhō-Buddhas' '' ( are named for the

Hakuhō period The was an unofficial of Emperor TenmuNussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hakuhō''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File. after '' Hakuchi'' and before '' Suc ...

(673–686) from which they are dated. The sculptures have been designated as 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 ...

. To the right of the main hall is the monks' quarters with the residence hall (map: A) and the guest house, known as "Accommodation for Sparrows" (; map: G). In the rear, where the temple rises, stands the small '' 'Kaisandō' '' (; map: 6), which is dedicated to the founder of the temple. The temple cemetery is further above and to the west.

Photo Gallery

Jindaiji-2.jpg, Temple Gate Jindaiji-3.jpg, Main Hall Jindaiji-5.jpg, Gansandaishidō Jindaiji-6.jpg, Shakadō

Related literature

* Tokyo-to rekishi kyoiku kenkyukai (Hrsg.): ''Jindaiji''. In: Tokyo-to no rekishi sampo (ge). Yamakawa Shuppan, 2005, . * Saitō Gesshin u. a.: ''Edo meisho zue'' (). Six volumes, 1834 to 1836.

References

External links

Jindaiji website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jindaiji Buddhist temples in Tokyo National Treasures of Japan