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[[File:Taiyuin-mausoleum.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The gates to the Taiyûin Mausoleum of [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]]]
[[File:Taiyuin-mausoleum.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The gates to the Taiyûin Mausoleum of [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]]]
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*''Established: [[766]], [[Shodo Shonin|Shôdô Shônin]]''
*''Japanese'': 輪王寺 ''(Rinnou-ji)''
*''Japanese'': 輪王寺 ''(Rinnou-ji)''
Rinnô-ji is a Buddhist temple neighboring and associated with the [[Shinto shrine]] [[Nikko Toshogu|Nikkô Tôshôgû]]. It is one of the top three [[Tendai]] sect temples in Japan, alongside [[Kan'ei-ji]] in [[Tokyo]] and [[Enryaku-ji]] in [[Kyoto]].
Rinnô-ji is a Buddhist temple neighboring and associated with the [[Shinto shrine]] [[Nikko Toshogu|Nikkô Tôshôgû]]. It is one of the top three [[Tendai]] sect temples in Japan, alongside [[Kan'ei-ji]] in [[Tokyo]] and [[Enryaku-ji]] in [[Kyoto]].
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While the Tôshôgû is built around the mausoleum of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], founder of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], Rinnô-ji contains within its grounds the Taiyûin Mausoleum of his grandson, the third shogun, [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]. Rinnô-ji is part of the "Shrines and Temples of Nikkô" [[World Heritage Site]], collectively along with Tôshôgû and the nearby [[Futaarasan Shrine]]; the three were historically a single shrine-temple complex, but were divided up by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1871]].<ref name=unesco>"[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/913 Shrines and Temples of Nikko]." UNESCO World Heritage Sites official webpage. UNESCO, 2012.</ref>
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While the Tôshôgû is built around the mausoleum of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], founder of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], Rinnô-ji contains within its grounds the Taiyûin Mausoleum of his grandson, the third shogun, [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]. The Mausoleum is designated a [[National Treasure]]. Rinnô-ji is part of the "Shrines and Temples of Nikkô" [[World Heritage Site]], collectively along with Tôshôgû and the nearby [[Futaarasan Shrine]]; the three were historically a single shrine-temple complex, but were divided up by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1871]].<ref name=unesco>"[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/913 Shrines and Temples of Nikko]." UNESCO World Heritage Sites official webpage. UNESCO, 2012.</ref> The temple also houses 38 [[Important Cultural Properties]].
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Abbots of Rinnô-ji were typically imperial princes. They traditionally enjoyed a one-on-one meeting with the shogun on the 1st day of the 2nd month each year.
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==History==
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Rinnô-ji originated as a small thatched-roof structure in the mountains, established in [[766]] by the monk [[Shodo Shonin|Shôdô Shônin]], who trekked there from [[Nara]]. As early as a century later, however, the temple had already developed into a larger complex visited by prominent Buddhist priests from [[Kyoto]].
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The temple's chief figures of worship are [[Amida]] Nyorai, Senju (Thousand-Armed) [[Kannon]], and Batô (Horse-Headed) Kannon. The three are associated, also, with the [[Shinto]] incarnations of the three mountains in the area, Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohô, and Mt. Tarô.
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The temple was significantly expanded and restored by the monk [[Tenkai]], who Tokugawa Ieyasu named head priest of Nikkô-zan in [[1613]], and who oversaw the construction of the Tôshôgû Shrine enshrining Ieyasu as the deity Tôshô Daigongen.
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By the mid-17th century, Rinnô-ji had been designated a ''[[monzeki]]'' temple, meaning that it came to be headed by members of the imperial family who became abbot of Rinnô-ji, taking on the title "Prince Rinnôji" (''Rinnôji no miya''). They traditionally enjoyed a one-on-one meeting with the shogun on the 1st day of the 2nd month each year.
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==Structures and Treasures==
Sculptures installed at the temple as objects of worship include one of [[Amida]] [[Buddha]] and two of the [[bodhisattva]] [[Kannon]] believed to have been made by the [[Shichijo bussho|Shichijô bussho]] sculpture studio in Kyoto c. [[1645]].<ref>Timon Screech, ''Obtaining Images'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 102-103.</ref>
Sculptures installed at the temple as objects of worship include one of [[Amida]] [[Buddha]] and two of the [[bodhisattva]] [[Kannon]] believed to have been made by the [[Shichijo bussho|Shichijô bussho]] sculpture studio in Kyoto c. [[1645]].<ref>Timon Screech, ''Obtaining Images'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 102-103.</ref>
The path to the mausoleum passes through three temple gates, each with a pair of guardian figures. Numerous bronze and stone lanterns donated by ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' or other elites also line the path. In contrast to the gold and white color scheme of key portions of the Tôshôgû, the Taiyûin mausoleum is decorated in a comparatively subdued gold and black scheme.<ref>Explanatory plaques on-site.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/54286942557/sizes/k/]</ref>
The path to the mausoleum passes through three temple gates, each with a pair of guardian figures. Numerous bronze and stone lanterns donated by ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' or other elites also line the path. In contrast to the gold and white color scheme of key portions of the Tôshôgû, the Taiyûin mausoleum is decorated in a comparatively subdued gold and black scheme.<ref>Explanatory plaques on-site.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/54286942557/sizes/k/]</ref>
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==Additional Structures==
A Daigomadô (Great Goma Hall) was constructed in 1998 to serve as the venue for [[goma fire ritual|''goma'' fire rituals]]. Conducting such fire rituals in this newly-built hall helps avoid the risk of fires at any of the historic structures on the grounds.<ref>Plaques on-site at Daigomadô Hall.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/54288329865/in/dateposted/]</ref>
A Daigomadô (Great Goma Hall) was constructed in 1998 to serve as the venue for [[goma fire ritual|''goma'' fire rituals]]. Conducting such fire rituals in this newly-built hall helps avoid the risk of fires at any of the historic structures on the grounds.<ref>Plaques on-site at Daigomadô Hall.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/54288329865/in/dateposted/]</ref>
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==References==
==References==
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*Explanatory plaques on-site.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/54287904476/sizes/4k/]
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[[Category:Temples]]
[[Category:Temples]]
[[Category:Edo Period]]
[[Category:Edo Period]]