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*''Founded: [[1253]]''
*''Founder: [[Doryu|Dôryû]]''
*''Japanese'': 建長寺 ''(Kenchouji)''
Kenchô-ji is a [[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] temple in [[Kamakura]], the first temple in Japan to be founded as a Zen temple<ref>It is not the first Zen temple to be established in the country, temples founded under a different sect having previously been converted to Zen use.</ref>. Kenchô-ji is counted as number one among the ''[[Kamakura Gosan]]'' (the five top Zen temples in the city).
The temple was founded in [[1253]] by the Chinese monk [[Doryu|Dôryû]], upon the request of [[Hojo Tokiyori|Hôjô Tokiyori]]. It was originally built in the form of Chinese Ch'an temples, with seven buildings at the center, including a ''[[hatto|hattô]]'' (Hall of the Law), ''[[butsuden]]'' (Buddha Hall), and ''[[sanmon]]'' and ''sômon'' gates. At its height, the temple featured 49 ''[[tatchu|tatchû]]'' (sub-temples within the same compound). Though most burned down over the course of the 14th-15th centuries, a lot was rebuilt in the early [[Edo period]], under the guidance of [[Takuan Osho|Takuan Oshô]].
Seven Chinese junipers which stand in the compound, noted as famous historical landmarks<!--名勝史跡-->, are said to have been planted during the temple's founding, making them over 750 years old. The temple's garden is said to have been designed by [[Muso Soseki|Musô Soseki]], and the temple's bell, cast in 1255, has been designated a [[National Treasures|National Treasure]]. A dragon painting on the ceiling of the ''hattô'' was painted by Koizumi Junsaku in 2000, in honor of the 750th anniversary of the temple's founding.
A protective shrine called Hansôbô stands on the mountainside behind the temple; the shrine, strongly associated with the ''[[tengu]]'', features numerous statues of the creatures.
==References==
*"Kenchôji." [http://www.kamakura-burabura.com/meisyokitakamakurakentyouji.htm Kamakura-burabura.com]. Accessed 16 December 2009.
[[Category:Temples]]
[[Category:Kamakura Period]]
*''Founder: [[Doryu|Dôryû]]''
*''Japanese'': 建長寺 ''(Kenchouji)''
Kenchô-ji is a [[Rinzai]] [[Zen]] temple in [[Kamakura]], the first temple in Japan to be founded as a Zen temple<ref>It is not the first Zen temple to be established in the country, temples founded under a different sect having previously been converted to Zen use.</ref>. Kenchô-ji is counted as number one among the ''[[Kamakura Gosan]]'' (the five top Zen temples in the city).
The temple was founded in [[1253]] by the Chinese monk [[Doryu|Dôryû]], upon the request of [[Hojo Tokiyori|Hôjô Tokiyori]]. It was originally built in the form of Chinese Ch'an temples, with seven buildings at the center, including a ''[[hatto|hattô]]'' (Hall of the Law), ''[[butsuden]]'' (Buddha Hall), and ''[[sanmon]]'' and ''sômon'' gates. At its height, the temple featured 49 ''[[tatchu|tatchû]]'' (sub-temples within the same compound). Though most burned down over the course of the 14th-15th centuries, a lot was rebuilt in the early [[Edo period]], under the guidance of [[Takuan Osho|Takuan Oshô]].
Seven Chinese junipers which stand in the compound, noted as famous historical landmarks<!--名勝史跡-->, are said to have been planted during the temple's founding, making them over 750 years old. The temple's garden is said to have been designed by [[Muso Soseki|Musô Soseki]], and the temple's bell, cast in 1255, has been designated a [[National Treasures|National Treasure]]. A dragon painting on the ceiling of the ''hattô'' was painted by Koizumi Junsaku in 2000, in honor of the 750th anniversary of the temple's founding.
A protective shrine called Hansôbô stands on the mountainside behind the temple; the shrine, strongly associated with the ''[[tengu]]'', features numerous statues of the creatures.
==References==
*"Kenchôji." [http://www.kamakura-burabura.com/meisyokitakamakurakentyouji.htm Kamakura-burabura.com]. Accessed 16 December 2009.
[[Category:Temples]]
[[Category:Kamakura Period]]