Kakuōzan Nittai-ji (覚王山日泰寺, ''Japan-Thailand Temple'') is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple located in the city of

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectu ...

prefecture,

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 was built in 1904 in order to keep the ashes of Buddha, given to Japan by the Kingdom of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. ”覚王” literally means "Enlightenment King," referring to the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, and “日泰” means Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand in Japanese. Usually, each temple in Japan belongs to a religious sect. However, Nittai-ji doesn't belong to any religious sect. Every three years, 19 religious sects take their turn to dispatch a chief priest to Nittai-ji. Usually, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand visits Nittai-ji on his birthday.

History

Discovery of the Buddha's relics

In January 1898, a resident officer from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, William Peppe, discovered a pot of soapstone containing human bones when he was excavating a

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

near the border of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Piprahwa Piprahwa is a village near Siddharthnagar city in Siddharthnagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Kalanamak rice, a scented and spicy variety of rice is grown in this area. It lies in the heart of the historical Buddha's homelan ...

.Nittai-temple. (1999) Kakuōzan Nittai-ji official web site. Retrieved November 25th 2015, from http://www.nittaiji.jp (English version: http://www.nittaiji.jp/kakuouzan/index_en.html)Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. (n.d.) Nittai-ji. Retrieved November 25th, 2015 from http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/thailand/jpth120/knowledge/temple.html Some ancient lettering written on the side of the pot are thought to be dated around the 3rd century B.C. The script reads, “The pot of the holy remains of Buddha is enshrined with a heart of trust by wife, children, brothers and sisters, together with a

Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

clan in India, Sakya”. This lends support for the historicity of a traditional belief expressed in Buddhist text, which claim that after the Buddha's death, he was cremated and the ashes of his remains were divided into eight portions.Royal Thai Embassy Tokyo.Japan. (2009) Nittai-ji. Retrieved November 26th 2015 from http://www.thaiembassy.jp/rte1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=268&Itemid=242 Some of the portion given to the Sakya clan was kept at Kapilavastu. In the 19th century, many researchers believed the Buddha to be a product of legend. This discovery provided evidence for the Buddha as a historical person. The government of India decided to keep the pot in the

Indian Museum The Indian Museum in Central Kolkata, West Bengal, India, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in colonial-era texts, is the ninth oldest museum in the world, the oldest and largest museum in India as well as in Asia. It has rare ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

and gave the ashes of the Buddha to the royal family of Thailand.

King Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

kept the ashes in

Wat Saket Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan ( th, วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร, usually shortened to Wat Saket is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok, Thailand. The temple dates ba ...

and divided it into several portions as a gift to other Buddhist countries like

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

. When the minister of Japan, Manjiro Inagaki, heard the news, he requested that the king offer a portion of ashes to Japan. The king granted his request and presented a portion of the relics to Japan as a gift from the royal family of Thailand to the Japanese people.Kawaguchi, K. (2001) The Journal of Aichi Gakuin University. Humanities & sciences 49(1): A Study of "Kakozan no souken". Retrieved November 26th 2015 from https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1520853833482640256

Founding Nittai-ji

Mr. Inagaki sent a letter about receiving the ashes of the Buddha to the foreign minister, Shuzo Aoki. Mr. Aoki immediately commanded all of the chiefs of Buddhist sects (13 sects and 56 sub sects) to prepare to receive the holy ashes. They held a conference and decided to receive the holy ashes. In June 1900, a mission was organized in order to receive the holy ashes. The mission traveled to Thailand on June 15 of that year and received the holy ashes from King Chulalongkorn at the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

. They promised King Chulalongkorn to build a new temple not belonging to any Buddhist sect at which to enshrine the holy ashes. King Chulalongkorn also gave a one thousand year old gold-bronze statue of the Buddha, a national treasure in Thailand, to function as the main statue of the Buddha in the new temple. The mission brought the holy ashes back to Japan and the holy ashes were temporarily kept at Myōhō-in temple in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. Representatives from each Buddhist sect in Japan conferred about the new temple that would keep the holy ashes. After many conferences, they decided to build the temple in

. The Nagoya city government prepared 330,000 square meters of land to build the temple. Finally, in 1904, Nissen-ji (now, Nittai-ji) was built in commemoration of the friendship between Japan and Thailand.

Architecture

Stupa

The Stupa (奉安塔 ''Hōan-tō'') is an important cultural property designated by Aichi Prefectural Government. The tower measures a height of 15m and is made of granite. It was designed by Professor Chuta Ito of

Tokyo University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

and is modeled on the

Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...

style. In front of the stupa, there is a round pathway for holding the celebratory annual ritual and

circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in S ...

. The second story contains the Relic Hall (舍利殿 ''Shariden'').

Main Hall

The main hall (本堂 ''Hondō'') is the location of the gold-bronze statue of the Buddha. In front of this hall, there is a signature by the current king of Thailand,

King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

, containing the phrase “Sakyamuni Buddha” written in the Thai language. On the west side, there is calligraphy written by Mr. Otei Kaneko, which expresses the good friendship between Japan and Thailand.

Other

*Worship Hall (礼拝殿 ''Reihai-den''), built for prayer and adoration. It is built in front of the reliquary tower. *Cemetery (墓地 ''Hakachi''), with an area of 82500 square meters. *Spirit hall (霊堂 ''Reido''), 1984, one the first indoor cemeteries in Japan. *The five-storied pagoda (五重塔 ''Goshūnotō''), 1997, with a height of 30m. *Phoenix Hall (鳳凰台 ''Hōō-dai''), 1927, an important cultural property designated by the Nagoya City Government. *Tea-ceremony Room (草結庵 ''Sōketsuan''),

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 ...

, an important cultural property designated by the Aichi Prefectural Government.

Treasures

*Main Gate (山門 ''Sanmon'') At the main gate, there are two statues. On the right side of this gate, there is a statue of Ananda, a disciple of the Buddha who served him for his entire life. On the left side there is a statue of

Mahākāśyapa Mahākāśyapa ( pi, Mahākassapa) was one of the principal disciples of Gautama Buddha. He is regarded in Buddhism as an enlightened disciple, being foremost in ascetic practice. Mahākāśyapa assumed leadership of the monastic community fol ...

, who was the oldest disciple of the Buddha and became a leader of the

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

after the Buddha's passing. *Chulalongkorn Statue (国王チュラロンコン像 ''Koku Churaronkon-zō'') This statue was built in 1987 in commemoration of the one hundred-year friendship between Japan and Thailand. It is placed in front of the Dharma hall. In front of the statue are flowers from Thailand (海江豆 ''Kaikōzu''), planted by the Crown Prince of Thailand in 1987. *Palm Leaf Manuscripts (所蔵の貝葉 ''Shozō no baiyō'') Palm leaves were once used among some circles as a medium for writing early Buddhist scripture. Nittai-ji has a collection of keeps 37 manuscripts, primarily in the Khmer and Thai language. Those manuscripts were given to Japan by Thailand but it is not known when this occurred.Kashiwahara, N. (2000) Journal of Pali and Buddhist Studies (14): Kakunouzan nittaizi syozouno baiyou. Retrieved November 26th 2015 from http://ci.nii.ac.jp/els/110002932990.pdf?id=ART0003283136&type=pdf&lang=en&host=cinii&order_no=&ppv_type=0&lang_sw=&no=1448527788&cp= The two statues were made by Mr. Katsuzo Entsuba in 1988. *The holy ashes of the Buddha (仏舎利 ''Busshari''), given to Japan by Thailand in 1900. *Gold-bronze statue of Buddha (釈迦金銅仏 ''Shakakondōbutsu''), given to Japan by Thailand in 1900. *Framed calligraphy (扁額 ''Hengaku''), by

Etai Yamada The Most Venerable was the 253rd head priest of the Japanese Tendai school of Mahayana Buddhism. In 1986, Yamada was invited by Pope John Paul II to be one of the few non-Christian religious leaders to attend the World Day of Prayer for Peace in ...

. It reads "Turning of the Wheel of Dharma" (転法輪 ''Tempōrin''; sa, Dharmacakrapravartana). *Footprint of the Buddha (仏足石 ''Bussokuseki''), made of bronze. Given by King Chulalongkorn to Japan in 1900.

Major Events

On the 21st day of every month, this temple holds a fair in celebration of Kobo Daishi and many shops open in front of the temple.Kakuouzan shopping street(1999) Kakuouzan shopping official web site. Retrieved November 26th 2015 from http://www.kakuozan.com/top.html This temple has some annual events. *March 15:

Nirvana Day Parinirvana Day, or Nirvana Day is a Mahayana Buddhist holiday celebrated in East Asia, Vietnam and the Philippines. By some it is celebrated on :February 8, 8 February, but by most on the :February 15, 15 February. In Bhutan, it is celebrated on ...

. *April 8:

Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday (also known as Buddha Jayanti, also known as his day of enlightenment – Buddha Purnima, Buddha Pournami) is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Gautama ...

(Flower festival) *May:

Vesak Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival ...

Festival *June 15: Memorial ceremony for enshrinement of the Buddha's relics *November 15: Memorial ceremony for the temple's opening *December 8:

Bodhi Day Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni) is said to have attained enlightenment, also known as ''bodhi'' in Sanskrit and Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of ...

Gallery

File:Nixtutaiji6.JPG, Statue of King Chulalongkorn File:Nixtutaiji8.JPG, Gold-Bronze Statue of Buddha File:Nixtutaiji10.JPG, Reliquary hall (Shariden) in front of Tower keeping ashes File:Nixtutaiji4.JPG, Main Gate File:Nixtutaiji5.JPG, Main gate and the five-storied pagoda File:Nixtutaiji7.JPG, Flower market in front of the temple

References

External links

Nittai-temple official website

Royal Thai Embassy website
{{Buddhist temples in Japan Chikusa-ku, Nagoya Buddhist temples in Nagoya Japan–Thailand relations Buddhist relics