contributor
27,436
edits
Changes
→History
Line 8:
Line 8:
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.+
+
==History==
==History==
−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]].
+Rinnô-ji originated as a small thatched-roof structure in the mountains, established in [[766]] by the monk [[Shodo Shonin|Shôdô Shônin]] and ten of his disciples, who trekked there from [[Nara]]. It was a combined Buddhist/Shinto site from the beginning, dedicated in particular to the worship of the [[bodhisattva]] [[Kannon]]. As early as a century later, prominent figures such as [[Kukai|Kûkai]] and [[Ennin]] were visiting the temple, expanding the complex with the construction of new buildings, and beginning its transformation into a site of [[Tendai]] Buddhism.
−In the [[Kamakura period]], the temple came to be dedicated primarily to [[Amida]] Nyorai, Senju (Thousand-Armed) Kannon, and Batô (Horse-Headed) Kannon and to their worship as incarnations of the [[kami]] of the three mountains in the area, Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nyohô, and Mt. Tarô. The monks of Nikkô came to play a notable role in performing rituals for the protection of the [[Kamakura shogunate]] and shogun, and one named [[Bengaku]] led a rise in ''[[shugendo|shugendô]]'' mountain asceticism practices.
−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.
+By the [[Muromachi period]], the temple boasted some 500 monks and lands amounting to 180,000 ''[[koku]]''. However, as the temple backed the [[Go-Hojo clan|Go-Hôjô clan]] against [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] in the [[1590]] [[siege of Odawara]], Hideyoshi destroyed the temple.
+The temple was restored soon afterward, however, and significantly expanded 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.
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.
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.