The is a Buddhist temple of the

Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...

sect in Zentsūji, Kagawa,

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 was established in 807 by

Kūkai , born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...

, founder of Shingon Buddhism, who was born where the temple now stands. The oldest structure, the Shakadō Hall, dates to around 1677. Zentsū-ji is the 75th temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It is also one of the three temples on the tour that Kūkai visited, the others being Tairyūji and Muroto Misaki, as Kūkai mentioned them by name in his writings. The temple is divided into the east precinct (''tō-in)'' centered around the main hall (the Kondō Hall) and the west precinct ''(sai-in)'', where the Mieidō Hall stands over Kūkai's birthplace. The temple grounds burned down in the 16th century during the war-torn

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 ...

, and many structures have been destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries.

Notable buildings

East precinct (''tō-in'')

*Gojūnotō – five-storied pagoda and tallest temple structure. Current pagoda completed in 1902. An Important Cultural Property of Japan. *Kondō Hall– the main hall (''hondō)'' of the temple''.'' Last rebuilt in 1699. An Important Cultural Property. *Shakadō Hall – formerly stood over Kukai's birthplace as the Mieidō Hall until moved and renamed in 1831. Built sometime 1673–1680. A Registered Tangible Cultural Property. *Bell tower – Registered Tangible Cultural Property. * Nandaimon – Registered Tangible Cultural Property *Chūmon

West precinct ''(sai-in)''

*Mieidō Hall – stands over Kūkai's birthplace. Current structure built in 1831; renovated in 1937. A Registered Tangible Cultural Property. * Nio gate – It was rebuilt in 1889. Registered Tangible Cultural Property. * Gomadō – It was rebuilt in 1889. Registered Tangible Cultural Property. *Henjōkaku

Temple treasures

*Gilt bronze finial of a pilgrim's staff –

National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

*Preface to the Lotus Sutra decorated with Buddhas –

*Jizō Bosatsu ryūzō – Important Cultural Property *Kichijōten ryūzō – Important Cultural Property

Gallery

File:Zentsu-ji in Zentsu-ji City Kagawa pref46n4350.jpg, Kondō Hall (main hall) File:Two Niō who stand in the left (Ungyō) and right (Agyō) of the sanmon gate at Zentsū-ji in Zentsū-ji City Kagawa pref.jpg, Nio Gate and

Kairō Two examples of ''kairō'' , , is the Japanese version of a cloister, a covered corridor originally built around the most sacred area of a Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple, a zone which contained the ''Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism), ...

File:Zentsu-ji in Zentsu-ji City Kagawa pref26s5s4050.jpg, Mieidō Hall File:Zentsu-ji in Zentsu-ji City Kagawa pref35n4140.jpg, Henjōkaku File:Zentuuzi01.jpg

References

External links

About ZENTSUJI

* ttp://foxandamyinjapan.blogspot.jp/2007/11/zentsuji-temple.html Fox and Amy in Japan Zentsuji Temple
Zentsuji Temple Kotohira 2 Shikoku Japan Travel Guide and Information att.JAPAN

Guide to start the Shikoku 88 temples pilgrimage (french-english)

Echoes of Incense - A Pilgrimage in Japan by Don Weiss

A Shikoku Pilgrimage by Jasbir Sandhu
9th-century establishments in Japan National Treasures of Japan Important Cultural Properties of Japan Shingon temples Pagodas in Japan Buddhist temples in Kagawa Prefecture 807 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 800s Temples of Bhaiṣajyaguru Kagawa prefecture designated tangible cultural property Designated historic sites of Kagawa Prefecture Shikoku Pilgrimage Sites Kūkai {{Japan-Buddhist-temple-stub