is a temple of the
Nichiren Shū
Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period.
Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of ...
in the city of
Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It stands on the site of the former Tatsukuchi (or Tatsunokuchi) Execution Grounds, and its name uses the same two
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
meaning "dragon mouth"(). It was here that
Nichiren
Nichiren (16 February 1222 – 13 October 1282) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period.
Nichiren declared that the Lotus Sutra alone contains the highest truth of Buddhist teachings suited for the Third Age of B ...
, namesake of the Buddhist sect, was to have been executed. It was founded in 1337 by
Nippō, a disciple of Nichiren.
Major buildings at the temple include the ''
Hondō
Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...
'', a five-story pagoda, a
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
(''sharitō''), and the Shichimendō. The cave where Nichiren was confined is preserved on the grounds. A statue of him stands in the courtyard in front of the ''Hondō''.
Ryūkō-ji is a short walk from
Enoshima Station
is a commuter railway station on the Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden) located in the city of Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Lines
Enoshima Station is served by the Enoshima Electric Railway Main Line and is 3.3 kilometers from the ...
on the
Enoshima Electric Railway, and from
Shōnan-Enoshima Station
is a monorail train station on the Shōnan Monorail Enoshima Line located in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the southern terminus of the Shōnan Monorail Enoshima Line and is located 6.6 kilometers from the northern terminus at ...
on the
Shonan Monorail
The is a Suspension railway, suspended SAFEGE monorail in the cities of Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura and Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the which belongs to Michinori Holdings, and opened on March ...
.
See also
* For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the
Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.
On the grounds
File:Ryukoji-M8719.jpg, Marker at site of execution grounds
File:Ryukoji-M8727.jpg, Outer gate
File:Ryukoji-M8736.jpg, Inner gate
File:Ryukoji-M8752.jpg, Cave where Nichiren was confined
File:Ryukoji03.jpg, Stupa
File:Ryukoji-gojyunoto.jpg
Sources
This article incorporates material translated from in the Japanese Wikipedia, accessed on December 14, 2008.
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryuko-Ji
Buddhist temples in Kanagawa Prefecture
Nichiren-shū temples