Kōshū-ji (興宗寺), also pronounced as Kōsō-ji, is a

Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai school, Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Caodong school, Cáodòng school, which was founded during the ...

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple in Minami-ku, Fukuoka,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The temple stands under the cavern of Takamiya where the old tombs existed.

History

According to tradition, Kuroda Nagamasa tried to use the carved stone from the temple to build Fukuoka Castle, but

Kannon Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

appeared to him in a dream and told him to stop construction. He later found out that a Kannon image was carved in the stone. He decided to stop working and built the hall of worship on the temple grounds. When the temple was destroyed in 1693, the main hall was rebuilt by Tandō Chōzen, the priest of Chōen-ji in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka. It was originally located in Kumade Village, Onga District, what is now called Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyūshū. It belonged to Ryūshō-ji in the same district, but was abandoned. Afterwards Tandō took over the temple and relocated the chapel to a new site in the Terazuka district to the south of the castle.

Anakannon

Anakannon (穴観音) is an ancient circular

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

located southward on the right side of the hill on the Kōshū-ji temple grounds. The estimated diameter of the hill is approximately 20 metres. The main part is a double-chambered site stone chamber that opens southward, and is from the late

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

in the 6th century. The stone chamber is a made of huge rocks that are one of the largest megalithic walls in Fukuoka.

Amitābha Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddh ...

is carved in front of the back of stone chamber, and Kannon and Mahasthamaprapta are both on the left and right. The author and the production date are unknown, but it is commonly called Anakannon because of its form. There were many old burial mounds in the Terazuka area, but it was told that some of the stones were removed from the stone walls when Fukuoka Castle was built.

Replica graves of the Forty-Seven Rōnin

In 1935, Zenjirō Kihara, a private investor, invested his private property and established replicas of the graves of the

Forty-Seven Rōnin The revenge of the , also known as the or Akō vendetta, was a historical event in Japan in which a band of ''rōnin'' (lordless samurai) avenged the death of their former master on 31 January 1703. The incident has since become legendary. I ...

on the temple grounds. It was done to create a sense of purpose, for health development of youth, and the promotion of a national consciousness. It is a replica of the same style as the actual graves at Sengaku-ji in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Each year on December 14, the temple holds a festival commemorating the 47 Rōnin.

Gallery

File:Koshu-ji Sanmon 01.jpg,

Sanmon A or is the most important mon of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen '' shichidō garan'', the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple.JAANUS It can be often found in temples of other denominations ...

File:Bell_tower_and_Main_Hall_of_Koshu-ji.jpg, Bell tower and Main Hall File:47_ronin_graves_at_Koshu-ji.jpg, 47 Rōnin graves File:Anakannon 02.jpg, Anakannon File:Anakannon 03.jpg, Relief images of Kannon carved into one of the Hyakuzuka (百塚) rocks

Notes

External links

HoteGuru Sightseeing Guide
in Japanese (some English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Koshu-ji Religious buildings and structures completed in 1693 Soto temples Buddhist temples in Fukuoka Prefecture Buildings and structures in Fukuoka Tourist attractions in Fukuoka 1690s establishments in Japan 1693 establishments in Asia