is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism repres ...

located in Uji, Kyoto. It is the head temple of the

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 n ...

ese Ōbaku Zen

sect A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger group. Although the term was originally a classification for religious separated groups, it can now refer to any organization that ...

, named after Wanfu Temple in Fujian, China. The mountain is likewise named after

Mount Huangbo Mount Huangbo () is a mountain in Fuqing county of Fujian Province, in the East China region of the People's Republic of China. The mountain is famous for its Buddhist temples, including Wanfu Temple (home of Yinyuan Longqi, founder of the Japa ...

, where the Chinese temple is situated.

History

The temple was founded in 1661 by the Chinese monk Yinyuan Longqi (Ingen) and his disciple

Muyan Mu'an (; Japanese Mokuan Shōtō) (1611–1684) was a Chinese Chan monk who followed his master Yinyuan Longqi to Japan in 1654. History Together they founded the Ōbaku Zen school and Mampuku-ji, the school's head temple at Uji in 1661 ...

. In 1664, control of the temple passed to

, after many Chinese monks followed as head priests. Only the fourteenth priest and his successors are Japanese. On May 21, 1673 (''Enpō 1, 5th day of the 4th month'') Yinyuan (Ingen) dies here. The art of '' Senchadō'' is closely tied to the temple due to its founder.

Architecture

The temple structures were constructed in

Ming China The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

's architectural style. The arrangement of buildings also follows Ming Dynasty architectural style, representing an image of a dragon. Wooden plate

The temple features an exemplary ''

gyoban A wooden fish, also known as a Chinese temple block, wooden bell, or ''muyu'', is a type of woodblock that originated from East Asia that is used by monks and lay people in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. They are used by Buddhist ceremon ...

'' (fish board, used to toll the hours).

Art

The temple treasure house contains a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures completed in 1678 and comprising approximately 60,000 printing blocks, which are still in use. The production of the printing blocks was funded by donations collected throughout the country for many years. The temple's main statue is a seated

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a 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 born in L ...

. Sculptures by the Chinese sculptor known as Han Do-sei and latticed balustrades can also be seen.

Gallery

Image:ManpukujiBalustrades.jpg, Balustrades, in style Image:Manpukuji2.jpg, Gate Image:ManpukujiAltar.jpg, Altar to Kansei Teikun Image:ManpukujiHotei1.jpg, Statue of

Hotei Hotei may refer to: * Hotei Station, a Japanese train station *Tomoyasu Hotei, a Japanese musician *Budai Budai ( zh, c=布袋, p=Bùdài; ko, 포대, Podae; ja, 布袋, Hotei; vi, Bố Đại) was a Chinese monk who is often identified ...

Notes

References

* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du Japon.'' Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 251800045
see also '' Imprimerie Royale de France,''

External links

Manpuku-ji
– official page

1661 establishments in Japan Buddhist temples in Kyoto Prefecture Obaku temples Religious organizations established in the 1660s Important Cultural Properties of Japan {{Zen-stub