Difference between revisions of "Kan'ei-ji"
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[[Prince Morizumi]] (Shuchô hosshinnô<!--守澄法親王-->), a son of [[Emperor Go-Mizunoo]], served as the first head priest (''[[zasu]]''<!--座主-->) of the temple, a position which continued to be occupied by members of the Imperial family down through the generations. These ''[[monzeki]]'' (priests of [[kuge|aristocratic]] or Imperial lineage) associated with Kan'ei-ji came to be called Rinnôji-no-miya.<ref name=maehira69/> | [[Prince Morizumi]] (Shuchô hosshinnô<!--守澄法親王-->), a son of [[Emperor Go-Mizunoo]], served as the first head priest (''[[zasu]]''<!--座主-->) of the temple, a position which continued to be occupied by members of the Imperial family down through the generations. These ''[[monzeki]]'' (priests of [[kuge|aristocratic]] or Imperial lineage) associated with Kan'ei-ji came to be called Rinnôji-no-miya.<ref name=maehira69/> | ||
| − | The grounds of the temple extended over a large area, much of which is today Ueno Park, centering on the Konponchû-dô. This hall, which enshrined a statue of [[Yakushi]] as its principal image of worship, was flanked by stands of bamboo transplanted from [[Enryaku-ji]]. The spot, now occupied by the park's famous fountain, was known as Take-no-utena ("Bamboo Pedestal"), as a result. | + | The grounds of the temple extended over a large area, much of which is today Ueno Park, centering on the Konponchû-dô, commissioned by Shogun [[Tokugawa Tsunayoshi]] in [[1698]]/9. This hall, which enshrined a statue of [[Yakushi]] as its principal image of worship, was flanked by stands of bamboo transplanted from [[Enryaku-ji]]. The spot, now occupied by the park's famous fountain, was known as Take-no-utena ("Bamboo Pedestal"), as a result. |
During the [[battle of Ueno]] in [[1868]], as the shogunate fell, a group of pro-shogunate loyalists known as the [[Shogitai|Shôgitai]] holed up in the temple, which was accordingly attacked, and many of its buildings destroyed. Many of those killed that day are formally buried at the temple. | During the [[battle of Ueno]] in [[1868]], as the shogunate fell, a group of pro-shogunate loyalists known as the [[Shogitai|Shôgitai]] holed up in the temple, which was accordingly attacked, and many of its buildings destroyed. Many of those killed that day are formally buried at the temple. | ||
Revision as of 23:48, 11 September 2015
- Built: 1625
- Other Names: 東叡山 (Touei-zan)
- Japanese: 寛永寺 (Kan'ei-ji)
Kan'ei-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple located in Ueno Park; along with Zôjô-ji, it was one of two Tokugawa clan family temples in the Tokugawa shogunal capital of Edo. Five Tokugawa shoguns were buried on the temple grounds; six more are buried at Zôjô-ji.
The temple was originally built in 1625 to help defend the shogunal capital of Edo from the unlucky northeastern direction. It was called Tôei-zan ("East-ei-zan") in reference to it being an eastern counterpart to Mt. Hiei (Hiei-zan), which guards Kyoto in the same manner.[1] The construction and establishment of Kan'ei-ji was overseen by Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu; it was founded by the monk Tenkai, and served as the center of the Tendai sect for the Kantô region. Along with Rinnô-ji in Nikkô and Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei, it became one of the chief three Tendai temples in the archipelago, securing, through its connections with the shogunate, the power of Tendai within Japan's religious hierarchies. The shogun typically visited the temple and paid respects to his ancestors on the 10th or 20th day of the new year each year, as well as on other occasions.[2]
Prince Morizumi (Shuchô hosshinnô), a son of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, served as the first head priest (zasu) of the temple, a position which continued to be occupied by members of the Imperial family down through the generations. These monzeki (priests of aristocratic or Imperial lineage) associated with Kan'ei-ji came to be called Rinnôji-no-miya.[1]
The grounds of the temple extended over a large area, much of which is today Ueno Park, centering on the Konponchû-dô, commissioned by Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi in 1698/9. This hall, which enshrined a statue of Yakushi as its principal image of worship, was flanked by stands of bamboo transplanted from Enryaku-ji. The spot, now occupied by the park's famous fountain, was known as Take-no-utena ("Bamboo Pedestal"), as a result.
During the battle of Ueno in 1868, as the shogunate fell, a group of pro-shogunate loyalists known as the Shôgitai holed up in the temple, which was accordingly attacked, and many of its buildings destroyed. Many of those killed that day are formally buried at the temple.
The temple suffered extensive damage and was all but destroyed completely in the Allied bombings of Tokyo in 1945. Several buildings on the grounds survive, or were rebuilt, but the temple grounds, which once covered the full area of what is today Ueno Park, have been shrunk considerably. The tombs of three shoguns (Tokugawa Ieharu, Ienari, and Iesada) survive, but those of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi were destroyed.
Many of the buildings and structures surviving at Kan'ei-ji today are designated Important Cultural Properties.
Ueno Daibutsu
The Ueno Daibutsu ("Great Buddha"), a 2.8 meter tall seated Buddha sculpture in bronze, was first erected on the grounds of the temple in 1631. Its construction was funded by Hori Naoyori, daimyô of Murakami han in Echigo province. The statue was destroyed in a 1647 earthquake, but was replaced by a larger, 3.6 m high, statue funded by the monk Jyoun, who organized collections from the people of Edo. This second statue survived through the rest of the Edo period; damaged in the Ansei Earthquake of 1855, it suffered more severe damage in the 1923 Great Kantô Earthquake, when the face fell off of the sculpture. The rest of the sculpture was melted down for provisions during World War II, but the face has been preserved and remains on display today in Ueno Park, alongside a pagoda erected in 1972 enshrining three small sculptures of Yakushi nyorai and the bodhisattvas Gakkô and Nikkô.
References
- Plaques on site.
- "Kan'ei-ji." Digital Daijisen. Shogakukan.
