is a

Rinzai The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...

temple of the Myoshin-ji branch located in Niiza city,

Saitama prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi 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 ...

, a city just outside

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

History

The temple was founded in

Iwatsuki, Saitama was a city located within Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 109,580 and the density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most ...

in 1375 by Sekishitsu Zenkyū, who had served as the Abbot of

Engaku-ji , or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo. Founded ...

Tenryū-ji , formally known as , is the head temple of the Tenryū-ji branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, located in Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddh ...

and Shōfuku-ji. During this period the original temple was destroyed in 1590 during an attack on Iwatsuki Castle by

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

. It was rebuilt in 1603 by

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

and moved to Niiza city sixty years later. The temple grounds are situated in a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed area and is considered to be a national monument. Heirin-ji differs from other temples in the Tokyo area by having no temple markets nor public festivals held at the temple. The temple remains a training temple for monks, who can often be seen working in the grounds. The grounds of the temple preserve a stretch of the Musashino woodlands. Animals such as

raccoon dog The common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides''), also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog, is a small, heavy-set, fox-like canid native to East Asia. Named for its raccoon-like face markings, it is most closely related to foxes. Common ...

s that are now not often seen in the city are found around the temple. The grounds also provide a roost for a large murder of Japanese crows. The gardens are notable for the

maple tree ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

s in autumn and the ''

ume ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

'' blossoms in early spring. The bell, with the ''ume'' blossom, was the inspiration for one of

Toshi Yoshida Toshi may refer to: * Toshi (given name), people with the given name ''Toshi'' * Toshihiko Tahara (born 1961), Japanese idol singer, a solo vocalist * Toshi (musician) (Toshimitsu Deyama, born 1965), a Japanese singer and musician * Toshi (comed ...

's wood block prints.McDonagh

Gallery

Image:Heirinji temple bell stand.jpg, Temple bell of Heirinji. Image:Heirinji_temple_guardian.jpg,

Nio are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Gautama Buddha, Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bo ...

, a temple guardian. Image:Heirinji_face_of_guardian.jpg, Nio, a temple guardian. Image:Heirinji_inner_gate.jpg, The thatched inner gate. Image:Heirinji_temple_bell.jpg, The temple bell. Image:Heirinji Kannon.jpg, A statue of

Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

a goddess of mercy. Image:Heirinji_autumn_colours.jpg,

Maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

tree in autumn at Heirinji

Notes

References

* * 1375 establishments in Asia Myoshin-ji temples 14th-century Buddhist temples Natural monuments of Japan Buddhist temples in Saitama Prefecture 1370s establishments in Japan {{Buddhist-temple-stub

History

See also

Gallery

Notes

References