was 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 ...

located in what is now the city of Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, in northern

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

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 is noted for its connections to the Ashikaga clan, who ruled Japan during the Muromachi period. The temple is now an archaeological site and has been designated by the national government as a National Historic Site since 2001.

History

Kabasaki-ji was located in a valley along the Kabasaki River, about 4.5 kilometers northeast of the remains of the Ashikaga residence (

Banna-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in the city of Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, in northern Kantō region of Japan. The ''honzon'' of the temple is a statue of Dainichi Nyōrai, leading to the temple's nickname of Dainichisama,. The temple ...

). It was constructed by

Ashikaga Yoshikane was a Japanese samurai military commander, feudal lord in the late Heian and early Kamakura period of Japan's history.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ashikaga Yoshikane" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum ...

in the early

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 betwee ...

to pray for victory over the

Northern Fujiwara The Northern Fujiwara (奥州藤原氏 ''Ōshū Fujiwara-shi'') were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region (the northeast of Honshū) of Japan during the 12th century as their own realm.

during Minamoto no Yoritomo's campaign against the forces of Hiraizumi in 1189. In 1195, Ashikaga Yoshikane became a Buddhist monk at this temple, where he died in 1198. The temple thereafter became his memorial temple and '' bodaiji'' for the Ashikaga clan. However, by the Sengoku period, the power and influence of the Ashikaga clan had waned, and the temple fell into near ruin. It was maintained in the Edo period by the Kitsuregawa clan, who claimed descent from the Ashikaga, and a Hachiman shrine was built in its precincts. With the post- Meiji restoration '' haibutsu kishaku'' movement, the remnants of the Buddhist temple were destroyed, and only the

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

remained. Excavations have been carried out continuously since 1984. The foundations of the main buildings are in good condition, and there are remains of a "Pure Land" style Jōdo garden with a large pond, and using the borrowed scenery of nearby Mount Yawata. Numerous ceramic shards and fragments of wood with inscriptions have been found. The traces of Ashikaga Yoshikane's mausoleum and the layout of the buildings matches what is described in contemporary documents. The temple area measures approximately 200 meters square. It is located 15 minutes by car from Ashikaga Station on the

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

Ryōmō Line.

References

External links

Ashikaga City official website
{{in lang, ja

Ashikaga, Tochigi Historic Sites of Japan Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan History of Tochigi Prefecture Shimotsuke Province Buddhist temples in Tochigi Prefecture 12th-century establishments in Japan Ashikaga clan 12th-century Buddhist temples

History

See also

References

External links