The Kyōnin-ji, situated in Kamogawa,

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

, was founded on 5 March 1281 and is one of the most important historic temples of

Nichiren-shū is a combination of several schools ranging from four of the original Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhist schools that date back to Nichiren's original disciples, and part of the fifth: Overview The school is often referred to as the Minob ...

. On 11 November 1264, following an invite by Kudō Yoshitaka Lord of Amatsu,

Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the '' Lotus Sutra''. Nichiren declared that the '' Lotus Sutra ...

came under attack by

Nembutsu file:玉里華山寺 (21)南無阿彌陀佛古碑.jpg, 250px, Chinese Nianfo carving The Nianfo ( zh, t=wikt:念佛, 念佛, p=niànfó, alternatively in Japanese language, Japanese ; ; or ) is a Buddhist practice central to East Asian Buddhism. ...

adherents while on his way to the Lord’s residence. Kyōninbō Nichigyō and Kudō Yoshitaka who rushed to his aid were killed in the event while two other of Nichiren's companions were injured. Legend has it that Nichiren's prayer beads protected him from serious injuries. In remembrance of those events Nichiryū, son of the killed Kudō Yoshitaka and a disciple of Nichiren, founded the temple in 1281. Next to buildings like the Soshidō (founders hall) and the

Hondō Main hall or Main Temple is the building within a Japanese Buddhist monastery compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, thi ...

(great hall) an 800-year-old cedar tree are regarded as the temple's main landmarks. According to legend the goddess

Kishimojin Hārītī (Sanskrit), also known as , , is a female rākṣasī or yakṣinī (nature spirit) in Buddhism. She appears as a character in all Buddhist traditions and she is revered as a fierce Dharma Protector and a fertility goddess in Maha ...

appeared to Nichiren in the old cedar tree.

External links

Nichiren-shū: Kyōnin-ji

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyonin-ji Buddhist temples in Chiba Prefecture Nichiren-shū temples