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[[File:Grave-gushichan.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Grave of [[Sho Ko (尚宏)|Prince Gushichan Shô Kô]], erected by Prince [[Ginowan Chosho|Ginowan Chôshô]] in [[1790]]]]

[[File:Grave-gushichan.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Grave of [[Sho Ko (尚宏)|Prince Gushichan Shô Kô]], erected by Prince [[Ginowan Chosho|Ginowan Chôshô]] in [[1790]]]]

*''Established: late 7th century''

*''Established: [[679]]''

*''Other Names'': 巨鼇山清見興国禅寺 ''(Kogouzan seiken koukoku zenji)''

*''Other Names'': 巨鼇山清見興国禅寺 ''(Kogouzan seiken koukoku zenji)''

*''Japanese'': 清見寺 ''(Seiken-ji; Kiyomi-dera)''

*''Japanese'': 清見寺 ''(Seiken-ji; Kiyomi-dera)''

Seiken-ji is a [[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] temple of the Myôshinji sect in Okitsu 興津 in [[Suruga province]], just east of [[Sunpu]], now part of [[Shizuoka City]]  of Shizuoka prefecture. It dominates an important point on the [[Tokaido Highway]], and so has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.  

Seiken-ji is a [[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] temple of the Myôshinji sect in Okitsu 興津 in [[Suruga province]], just east of [[Sunpu]], now part of [[Shizuoka City]]  of Shizuoka prefecture. It dominates an important point on the [[Tokaido Highway]], and so has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.  

The temple is believed to have been originally founded in the late 7th century, as a temple associated with, and protecting, the barrier checkpoint at Kiyomi-ga-seki<ref>The "Seiken" of the temple's name (清見) is an alternate reading of the characters for "Kiyo-mi" in Kiyomi-ga-seki.</ref> The temple was re-established as a Rinzai Zen temple in [[1261]], by Zen master [[Muden Shozen|Muden Shôzen]]<!--無伝聖禅-->. The temple was restored once again by [[Shogun]] [[Ashikaga Takauji]] in the 14th century, and its garden was officially named a "famous site" (''meishô''<ref>名勝</ref>) in the early [[Edo period]].

The temple is believed to have been originally founded in [[679]], as a temple associated with, and protecting, the barrier checkpoint at Kiyomi-ga-seki<ref>The "Seiken" of the temple's name (清見) is an alternate reading of the characters for "Kiyo-mi" in Kiyomi-ga-seki.</ref> The temple was re-established as a Rinzai Zen temple in [[1261]], by Zen master [[Muden Shozen|Muden Shôzen]]<!--無伝聖禅-->. The temple was restored once again by [[Shogun]] [[Ashikaga Takauji]] in the 14th century, and its garden was officially named a "famous site" (''meishô''<ref>名勝</ref>) in the early [[Edo period]].

Seiken-ji has also been host to many prominent historical figures. According to temple tradition, when he was a child, [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] accompanied his tutor Abbot Taigen Sessai 太原雪斎 on his visits to Seiken-ji.<ref>Statler p. 30; http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/清見寺.</ref> [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] stayed there while his headquarters were being completed for the [[1590]] [[siege of Odawara]]; he is said to have been impressed by the sound of the temple bell, and requisitioned it for use during the campaign. Seiken-ji also saw the visits of shogun [[Tokugawa Iemochi]], who stayed there briefly in [[1862]] while on his way to Kyoto, and of [[Emperor Meiji]], who stayed there [[1869|seven years later]] while on his way to the new capital of Tokyo.

Seiken-ji has also been host to many prominent historical figures. According to temple tradition, when he was a child, [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] accompanied his tutor Abbot Taigen Sessai 太原雪斎 on his visits to Seiken-ji.<ref>Statler p. 30; http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/清見寺.</ref> [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] stayed there while his headquarters were being completed for the [[1590]] [[siege of Odawara]]; he is said to have been impressed by the sound of the temple bell, and requisitioned it for use during the campaign. Seiken-ji also saw the visits of shogun [[Tokugawa Iemochi]], who stayed there briefly in [[1862]] while on his way to Kyoto, and of [[Emperor Meiji]], who stayed there [[1869|seven years later]] while on his way to the new capital of Tokyo.