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 ...

located in the Gokushōmachi neighborhood of

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

, Japan. It belongs to 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 ...

Myōshin-ji is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan, which serves as the head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The Myōshin-ji School is by far the largest school in Rinzai Zen, approximately as big as the other thirteen branches combined: ...

-branch of

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 '' sangō'' prefix is . It was founded by

Eisai was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with founding the Rinzai school, the Japanese line of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism. In 1191, he introduced this Zen approach to Japan, following his trip to China from 1187 to 1191, during which he w ...

with support from

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...

, and is the oldest Zen temple in Japan. Its precincts were designated a National Historic Site in 1969.

History

According to the "Eisai Genjo"(栄西言上状) handed down at the temple, in 1195, after Eisai, the founder of Japan's Rinzai school, returned from Sung China, he was given eight ''chō'' (approximately 900 meters square) by Minamoto no Yoritomo to construct a temple was built on the site of Hyaku-do, a chapel which had been built by Chinese expatriates living in Hakata. The new temple was completed in 1204, and was given a plaque with calligraphy by

Emperor Go-Toba was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; ...

for its

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 ...

gate. This was Japan's first full-fledged Zen temple and Zen ''

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Tao, Way" in Japanese language, Japanese. History The word ''d� ...

''. At its peak, it had 38 sub-temples and chapels in addition to its seven main halls and was the central temple of Hakata. Within the temple grounds, a market town (called "Kannai") was formed, and many place names of modern Hakata still reflect buildings of features of that settlement: Fugendo, Nakakoji, Uomachi, Amaya, Hasuike, and Nishimon. In addition, this was also the location of

Chinzei Bugyō , or Defense Commissioner of the West, was the name given to a post created in 1186 to oversee the defense of Kyūshū. At the time, the primary mission of the ''Bugyō'' was to seek out and eliminate anyone who had supported Minamoto no Yoshitsune ...

, the shogunate's official representative for Kyushu, and served as a point of contact for diplomatic negotiations, producing bilingual monks. In 1563, the temple was destroyed by fire during the wars of the

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 ...

. The temple was revived in 1570, but again in 1574, the temple completely disappeared and fell into disrepair. In 1587, the precincts were considerably reduced due to

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

's reconstruction of Hakata, but the ''

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally to ...

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal military lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of ...

donated additional land, and under his protection many structures were rebuilt. The temple received addition territory from Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1595 and

Kuroda Nagamasa was a ''daimyō'' during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser. Biography Nagamasa's childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577 his fathe ...

in 1600. This temple was originally an independent temple of the Rinzai school, but after its founder Eisai opened

Kennin-ji is a historic Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of its associated branch of Rinzai Buddhism. It is considered to be one of the so-called Kyoto ''Gozan'' or "five most important Zen temples of Kyoto". History Kennin-ji was ...

in Kyoto, it became part of the Kennin-ji sect. In the Edo period, by order of Kuroda Nagamasa, it became a temple of the Myōshinji sect, which continues to this day. The temple is located a three-minute walk from Gion Station (Fukuoka) on the

Kūkō Line (Fukuoka City Subway) The is a subway line, part of the Fukuoka City Subway system in Fukuoka, Japan. It connects Meinohama, Nishi Ward to Fukuokakūkō ( Fukuoka Airport), Hakata Ward, all within Fukuoka. The line's color on maps is orange. Officially, the l ...

Gallery

Shofuku-ji Chokushi gate.jpg, Chokushi-mon Shofuku-ji Sanmon.jpg, Sanmon and Taiko-bashi Fukuoka Shofukuji Daiyuhoden October 2015.jpg, Butsuden Shofukuji 02.jpg, Kuri Shofukuji 03.jpg, Shōrō Syofukuji garden.jpg, Gardens Shofukuji tea tree.jpg, Tree bush

Structures

- According to temple legend, this gate was relocated from

Najima Castle is a hilltop castle, located in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Today, only its ruins still stand. History Najima Castle was located on a peninsula projecting into Hakata Bay on the north of the estuary of the Tatara River. The castle f ...

* Chokushimon (Imperial Envoy Gate) - renovated in 1827. * Kannon-dō - Rebuilt in 1911 *

Shōrō The two main types of bell tower in Japan The or is the bell tower of a Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple in Japan, housing the temple's . It can also be found at some Shinto shrines which used to function as temples (see article ' ...

Bell Tower - Built in 1589, renovated in 1759. A bronze bell (Korean bell), an important cultural property, hung there until 1976. * Butsu-den - Rebuilt in 1587, and renovated from 2012-2014 * Hōjō - Relocated from Hizen Nagoya Castle in 1601 by Kuroda Nagamasa; extensively renovated in 1845, 1930 and 1987 * Kuri - Built in 1589, renovated in 1909 and 1968 * Zendō - Relocated from the sub-temple, Keiko-in in 1802. *

Kyōzō in Japanese Buddhist architecture is a repository for sūtras and chronicles of the temple history. It is also called , , or . In ancient times the ''kyōzō'' was placed opposite the shōrō, belfry on the east–west axis of the temple. The ea ...

- Built in 1682, a tangible folk cultural properties of Fukuoka Prefecture. *Kaizan-do - Located in the sub-temple Gosho-in * Cemetery - Contains the graves of the 32nd Prime Minister

Kōki Hirota was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1936 to 1937. Originally his name was . He was executed for war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War at the Tokyo Trials. Early life Hirota was ...

and politician

Taketora Ogata was a Japanese journalist, Vice President of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and later a politician. During the war, he joined the Imperial Rule Assistance Association. After the end of the war, he was purged from public service. Later, he became t ...

References

External links

Official home pageCultural Properties in Fukuoka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shofuku-ji (Fukuoka) Buddhist temples in Fukuoka Prefecture Buildings and structures in Fukuoka Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Buildings and structures completed in 1195 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1190s 1190s establishments in Japan 1195 establishments in Asia Fukuoka Prefecture designated tangible cultural property Myoshin-ji temples Chikuzen Province Historic Sites of Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan