, originally Kōgaku-an, 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 belonging to the
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 ...
school of Japanese
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
. located in the city of
Kōshū, Yamanashi
is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 31,526 in 13,147 households, and a population density of 120 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is the home of the indigenous ...
,
Japan. It is the head temple of one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school. Its main image is a statue of
Shaka Nyōrai. The temple, including its famed
Japanese garden
are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...
is not open to the general public.
History
The temple founded as a hermitage in 1380 by
Bassui Tokushō
was a Rinzai Zen Master born in modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture who had trained with Sōtō and Rinzai Zen-masters. Bassui was unhappy with the state of Zen practice in Japan during his time, so he set out in life with the mission of revitalizing ...
, a noted Zen prelate from
Sagami Province
was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Pac ...
, who had trained with
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
, Rinzai and
Ch'an
Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and S ...
traditions. Due to the growing popularity of his teachings, he moved further and further into the countryside seeking the peace required for his meditations. His popularity continued after his death, and
Emperor Go-Kameyama
(c. 1347 – May 10, 1424) was the 99th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 1383 to October 21, 1392, becoming the last Emperor of the Southern Court. His personal name was .
This 14th century sove ...
designated the temple as a ''chokugan-ji'', or "temple to pray for the nation" during the civil wars of the
Nanboku-chō period
The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, ''Nanboku-chō jidai'', "North and South court period", also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period), spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Mur ...
. The temple was heavily sponsored by the
Takeda clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...
, who were the rulers of
Kai Province and was awarded with estates and built numerous subsidiary temples and chapels. However, after the fall of the Takeda clan and the establishment of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
in the
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 characte ...
, the temple gradually fell from prosperity and many of its subsidiary temples were abolished or joined other branches of the Rinzai school. In 1782 much of the original temple complex was destroyed in a fire. After the start of the
Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
, it became part of the
Nanzen-ji
, or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. The precincts ...
branch of Rinzai. It recovered its status as the head temple of its own branch of Rinzai in 1908. Kōgaku-ji today governs eight sub-temples and fifty temple affiliates.
[Yiqiao Gu, 165]
Cultural properties
National Treasures
Kōgaku-ji painting of Daruma
The at Kōgaku-ji is
hanging scroll in colored ink on paper, depicting
Daruma with red robes, seated in a formal pose. The painting dates from approximately the 1260s, and has an inscription by
Lanxi Daolong, the famed priest and head abbot of
Kenchō-ji
Kenchō-ji (建長寺) is a Rinzai Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the ...
in Kamakura. The scroll measures 123.3 cm × 61.2 cm (48.5 in × 24.1 in). The painting was made by an unknown Japanese painter who was strongly influenced by the
Southern Song
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
style. It was designated a
National Treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the funda ...
of Japan on November 14, 1953
Important cultural properties
Kōgaku-ji Central Gate
The is a wooden gate with four pillars and a cypress-shingle roof, dating from the
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...
and is one of the oldest remaining structures of the temple. It was designated an
Important Cultural Property of Japan on June 22, 1971
Portrait painting of Sankō Kokushi
The a Muromachi period hanging scroll in colored ink on paper, depicting , a Zen prelate from
Aizu who travelled to
Yuan period China to study Zen at the
Tianmu Mountain
Tianmu Mountain, Mount Tianmu, or Tianmushan () is a mountain in Lin'an County west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, in eastern China. It is made up of two peaks: West Tianmu () and East Tianmu (). Twin ponds near the top of the peaks led to the name of ...
. He became the chief priest of Kōgaku-ji after his return to Japan. The portrait depicts the priest seated in a chair and measures 136.4 cm by 60.6 cm. It was designated an
Important Cultural Property of Japan on May 25, 1916
Portrait painting of Sankō Kokushi
The a Muromachi period hanging scroll in colored ink on paper, depicting Bassui Tokushō. The portrait depicts the priest seated in a chair and measures 128.8 cm by 62.2 cm. The portrait was painted in 1393 on the seventh memorial of the priest's death. It was designated an
Important Cultural Property of Japan on May 25, 1916
Kōgaku-ji wooden printing blocks
Kōgaku-ji has many printing blocks, some of which date from the Muromachi period and Edo period. Of these, a set of 37 blocks (塩山和泥合水集板木) dated 1386 and one block dated 1389 (抜隊得勝遺誡板) were designated Important Cultural Properties on June 10, 2007
The former is a question-and-answer form showing responses to questions which are asked by priests. The latter is a set of regulations for prices issued by Bassui Tokushō.
National Place of Scenic Beauty
Kōgaku-ji gardens
The
Japanese garden
are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...
on the slope of the mountain on the north side of the precinct is a stone garden believed to date from the early Edo period, and renovated several times in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was excavated in 1990 by archaeologists, and was found to contain an arrangement of rock formations and ponds and waterfalls. It was designated as a National
Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan on June 6, 1994.
See also
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
The term " National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897.
The definition and the criteria have changed since the inception of the term. These paintings adhere to the current definition, and were designated na ...
*
List of Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan (Yamanashi)
References
*
External links
Koshu city official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kogaku-ji
Buddhist temples in Yamanashi Prefecture
Kōshū, Yamanashi
Rinzai temples
Kai Province
Places of Scenic Beauty
National Treasures of Japan
Kōgaku-ji temples
Important Cultural Properties of Japan