270px, Nanshū-ji Garden is a

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

in the Sakai ward of the city of

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It belongs to the

Daitoku-ji is a Rinzai school Zen Buddhist temple in the Murasakino neighborhood of Kita-ku in the city of Kyoto Japan. Its ('' sangō'') is . The Daitoku-ji temple complex is one of the largest Zen temples in Kyoto, covering more than . In addition to ...

-branch of the

Rinzai school The Rinzai school (, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng), named after Linji Yixuan (Romaji: Rinzai Gigen, died 866 CE) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, along with Sōtō and Ōbaku. The Chinese Linji school, Linji s ...

Japanese Zen :''See also Zen for an overview of Zen, Chan Buddhism for the Chinese origins, and Sōtō, Rinzai school, Rinzai and Ōbaku for the three main schools of Zen in Japan'' Japanese Zen refers to the Japanese forms of Zen, Zen Buddhism, an orig ...

. Its main image is a Shaka Sanzon. Its

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 desig ...

, laid out by Furuta Oribe in 1619, is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty. The temple is the ''

bodaiji A in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead, giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their soul's favor.Iwanami kojien The name is derived from the term , which originally meant ju ...

'' of the

Miyoshi clan is a Japanese family descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and the Minamoto clan (Seiwa-Genji). They are a cadet branch of the Ogasawara clan and the Takeda clan. At the beginning of the 14th century AD, settled in Shikoku. His eighth ge ...

and for many schools of the

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

History

The temple was founded in August 1526 as , a small Zen hermitage. In 1557,

Miyoshi Nagayoshi , or Miyoshi Choukei, the eldest son of Miyoshi Motonaga, was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' who ruled seven provinces in Kansai. He was considered the most powerful figure during the Sengoku period before the rise of Oda Nobunaga, as Nagayosh ...

, castellan of

Iimoriyama Castle was a Sengoku period mountain-top castle in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Located on a 315.9 meter mountain. It was the original base of power for the Miyoshi clan. View from Honkuruwa base History Iimoriyama Castle was built by Kizawa Nagamasa a ...

Kawachi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as . Geography The area was radically different in th ...

became the most powerful warlord in the region. He expanded the hermitage into a temple to pray for his deceased father, Miyoshi Motonaga. The temple was originally located in another part of Sakai, called Shukuin-chō. In 1573,

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

Ashikaga Yoshiaki "Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573 when he ...

named it one of the Jissetsu temples under the

Five Mountain System The system, more commonly called simply ''Five Mountain System'', was a network of state-sponsored Chan (Zen) Buddhist temples created in China during the Southern Song (1127–1279). The term "mountain" in this context means "temple" or "mona ...

of official temples under the Ashikaga shogunate. The temple was destroyed in 1574 during

Matsunaga Hisahide Matsunaga Danjō Hisahide (松永弾正久秀 1508 – November 19, 1577) was a ''daimyō'' and head of the Yamato Matsunaga clan in Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. He has historical reputation as one of , a nickna ...

's struggle against

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

. It was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again in 1615 during the

Osaka Summer Campaign is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population ...

between

Toyotomi Hidenaga , formerly known as or . He was a half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the most powerful and significant warlords of Japan's Sengoku period and regarded as 'Hideyoshi's brain and right-arm'. Life Hidenaga was also known by his court tit ...

and

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

. It was reconstructed once again under the patronage of the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

by the noted prelate

Takuan Sōhō was a Japanese Buddhist prelate during the Sengoku and early Edo Periods of Japanese history. He was a major figure in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Noted for his calligraphy, poetry, tea ceremony, he is also popularly credited with the in ...

in 1619. It was relocated to its present location at that time. The temple once again suffered a disaster in the July 10, 1945 Bombing of Osaka in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Kaisan-dō, Hōjō,

Tōshō-gū A is a Shinto shrine in which Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is enshrined. List of Tōshō-gū, Tōshō-gūs are found throughout Japan. The most well-known Tōshō-gū is the Nikkō Tōshō-gū located i ...

and numerous other structures were lost, but the Main Hall (built in 1654),

Sanmon A or is the most important mon of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen '' shichidō garan'', the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple.JAANUS It can be often found in temples of other denominations ...

(built in 1647) and

Karamon The is a type of gate seen in Japanese architecture. It is characterized by the usage of '' kara-hafu'', an undulating bargeboard peculiar to Japan. ''Kara-mon'' are often used at the entrances of Japanese castles, Buddhist temples and Shint ...

all survived, and are now designated as National Important Cultural Properties (ICP). 130202 Nanshuji Sakai Osaka pref Japan01s3.jpg, Sanmon (ICP) 130202 Nanshuji Sakai Osaka pref Japan35n.jpg, Karamon (ICP) 130202 Nanshuji Sakai Osaka pref Japan40n.jpg, Jissoan Teahouse The temple is a five-minute walk from Goryomae Station on the

Hankai Tramway is a company which owns two tramway lines in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka, Japan. It was originally a subsidiary of Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. although it still uses the Nankai symbol as its logo. History Hankai Tramway Co., L ...

Purported grave of Tokugawa Ieyasu

The temple has a monument which is purported to be the "true" grave of

. According to the temple's legend, Tokugawa Ieyasu was forced to retreat by

Sanada Yukimura , also known as , was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period. He was especially known as the leading general on the defending side of the Siege of Osaka. Yukimura was called "A Hero who may appear once in a hundred years", "Crimson D ...

during the

Siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

, and he was stabbed in his

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

by a spear wielded by Sanada's fellow

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...

loyalist, Gotō Matabe, and died. His body was hidden by his retainers under floor of the Kaisan-dō at Nanshū-ji and was secretly reburied. This

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

has a number of historical issues, notably that Nanshū-ji had already been burned down and Gōtō Matabe is known to have been killed in combat before the alleged events took place. However, the legend has had considerable longevity, and in 1967, Keijirō Miki, a noted master of the ''

Hokushin Ittō-ryū is a that was founded in the late Edo period by . He was one of the last masters who was called a . Curriculum and Characteristics The curriculum of this (martial arts style) contains mainly , and , but the main weapons used are the long ...

'' school of

Japanese swordsmanship is an umbrella term for all (''ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of k ...

(and himself a descendant of the Mito Tokugawa clan, built a monument inscribed "Tōshō-gū Tokugawa Ieyasu Tomb" on the site of the Tōshō-gū shrine that was once located at this temple.

Nanshū-ji garden

The dry landscape garden located outside the abbot's chamber is thought to date from the temple's reconstruction by Takuan Sōhō. It makes use of the rising terrain to incorporate a dry waterfall with an “upstream” stone bridge and a bed of white stones in the foreground to emphasize the arrangement of stones in the center. It is a designated National Place of Scenic Beauty.

Cemetery

Nanshū-ji is the ''

'' of the

, who were prominent

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

warlords. However, the temple is more known for its connections with the

. Although

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the ''chanoyu'', the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspect ...

's official grave is at Jukōin temple in the Daitoku-ji compound in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, he has another grave at Nanshū-ji. Rikyū lived for many years in Sakai. The tomb of fellow tea masters and Sakai merchants

Takeno Jōō Takeno may refer to: *Takeno, Hyōgo, a former town in Kinosaki District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan *Takeno Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Toyooka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company ...

and Tsuda Sōgyū are also at Nanshū-ji. The various schools of the Japanese tea ceremony, including the Omotesenke,

Urasenke is one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with and , it is one of the three lines of the family descending from , which together are known as the - or the "three houses/families" (). The name , literally meaning "rear hous ...

and

Mushakōjisenke , sometimes referred to as ''Mushanokōjisenke'', is one of the three schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with Urasenke and Omotesenke, the Mushakōjisenke is one of the three lines of the Sen family descending from Sen no Rikyū, which toge ...

also have tombs at this cemetery. The tomb of Utagawa Yoshitaki, an ''

ukiyoe is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; tra ...

'' artist noted for his depictions of ''

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

'' actors, is also located at Nanshū-ji.

References

External links

Sakai Visitor's Guide

{{Buddhist temples in Japan Buddhist temples in Osaka Prefecture Daitoku-ji temples Sakai, Osaka Izumi Province Miyoshi clan 16th-century Buddhist temples