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*''Founded: [[1625]]?''
*''Other Names'': 高照山 ''(Kôshôzan)''
*''Japanese'': 大林寺 ''(Dairinji)''

Dairin-ji is a [[Jodo Shu|Jôdo-shû]] Nishiyama [[Zen]] temple in [[Furuichi]], a neighborhood of [[Ise|Ise city]].

It is perhaps most famous for its connection to the [[kabuki]] play ''[[Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba]]'', and to the real-life incident which inspired the play. Magofuku Itsuki, a local doctor who went on a murderous rampage in the [[Aburaya]] teahouse nearby on [[1796]]/5/4, is buried at Dairinji along with his lover, the courtesan Okon, in a lover's grave. The temple, located near the former site of the teahouse, is thus a tourist destination for kabuki fans, and professional kabuki actors playing the roles of Itsuki (Mitsugi in the play) and Okon often come here to pay their respects. A small prayer hall called Aizendô ("Love-Stained Hall") once stood in front of the monument to the couple, along with an offerings box, but it was destroyed at some point in a typhoon, and not rebuilt. The path leading from the tomb to the main street is lined with paper lanterns donated by [[Kamigata]] (Kansai) kabuki actors. (The temple, incidentally, is mentioned, but does not appear, in the play.)

Records differ on when Dairin-ji was established, with some pointing to [[1614]], and some [[1625]]. In any case, it is the oldest extant temple in the area. The temple was originally built on a mountain road, but was moved in [[1691]] down into the town, near to the red-light district, with which it remained strongly associated.

A fire broke out on [[1852]]/6/27 due to the carelessness of a monk, and spread, destroying 280 buildings. The temple was rebuilt four years later, in a new and more elegant form, with raised floors.

The temple was shut down in [[1869]], and its Buddhist sculptures, altars, and other such sacred objects dispersed to over 160 other temples, in the strong government-backed [[Meiji era anti-Buddhism movement]] of the time. A number of other temples in the area also disappeared.

Dairinji was re-established in [[1894]], and since that time some of the buildings have been moved, other renovated. The Aizendô in front of the lovers' grave was destroyed in a typhoon, but the chief object of worship, a statue of [[Aizen-Myoo|Aizen-Myôô]], was recovered and placed in a new hall. The Dairinji Aizen-Myôô was the chief patron deity worshipped as protecting the Furuichi ''yûkaku'', and today continues to be seen as a patron deity or protector of the restaurant and nightlife establishments in the area.

==References==
*[http://www.dairinji.com/ Dairinji Homepage]. 2008. Accessed 22 November 2010.

[[Category:Temples]]
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