Kohoan

The entrance to the main hall.

• Established: 1612
• Founder: Kobori Enshû
• Japanese: 孤篷庵 (Kohouan)

Kohôan is a sub-temple (tatchû) of Daitokuji, established in 1612 by Kobori Enshû and moved to its current location and incorporated into Daitokuji in 1643. It was the last, i.e. latest, sub-temple to be incorporated into the temple.

Originally established within the grounds of Ryûkô-in, it was later moved to its current location, a few blocks west of the core of Daitokuji. The characters used to write the temple's name, Kohôan, roughly translate as "solitary reed mat hermitage," but the reed mat refers to those which would have been placed on the deck of a ship; the name is supposed to recall the idea of a solitary boat on the ocean. The temple is known for its tearoom, known as Bôsen, and tea garden, which are likewise designed to evoke the idea of looking out over the ocean from the deck of a small ship. The Bôsen tearoom and shoin (study) in the main hall are nationally designated Important Cultural Properties.

The temple burned down in 1793, but was rebuilt by Matsudaira Fumai.

References

• "Kohôan." Digital Daijisen デジタル大辞泉. Accessed via Kotobank.jp, 29 December 2010.
• "Kohôan." Hyakka jiten Mypedia 百科事典マイペディア. Accessed via Kotobank.jp, 29 December 2010.
• "Kohôan." Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 日本国語大辞典. Accessed via JapanKnowledge online resource, 29 December 2010.