is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

located in the city of Iwade,

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...

in the

Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Surrounded by the sacred peaks of the Katsuragi Mountains, the temple grounds were designated as a National Historic Site and a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2007.

History

In the latter half of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, from 1131, the priest Kakuban became head of the Shingon sect on

Mount Kōya is a large temple settlement in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan to the south of Osaka. In the strictest sense, ''Mount Kōya'' is the mountain name ( sangō) of Kongōbu-ji Temple, the ecclesiastical headquarters of the Kōyasan sect of Shingon Bu ...

and attempted to reform the sect by reuniting the Ōno (小野) and Hirosawa (広沢) branches. He also attempted to assert the authority of Mount Kōya over the temple's metropolitan headquarters at

Tō-ji , also known as is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku, Kyoto, Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796, Tō-ji Temple was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. As s ...

in Kyoto. More controversially, he also attempted to introduce elements from

Pure Land Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...

Buddhism into Shingon orthodoxy, including a new ritual called the '. These reforms led to animosity form various reactionary political factions within the Shingon hierarchy, and facing calls for his expulsion, he resigned his posts in 1135 and retired to the chapel of Mitsugon-in (密厳院). However, the animosity against him continued, and after armed followers of the other factions burned down his residence in 1140, he fled further south into the mountains of

Kii Province , or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kii''" in . Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Pro ...

to an estate which he had received in 1132 from ex-

Emperor Toba was the 74th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 鳥羽天皇 (74)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Ch ...

called Ichijō-zan Daidenpon Negoro-ji. He died at this location in 1143 and one of his disciples, Raiyū (頼瑜, 1226–1304) moved the Daidenbō-in and the Mitsugon-in chapels from Mount Kōya to Negoro-ji in 1288 and established the independence of a new school called . During the height of its influence in the late

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

, the temple grew to become a huge religious city, with some 450 temples or chapels (2700 by some accounts) on the mountainside, controlling estates with a ''

kokudaka refers to a system for determining land value for taxation purposes under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo-period Japan, and expressing this value in terms of ''koku'' of rice. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Koku"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 5 ...

'' of 720,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

'' and with some 10,000 '' Negoro-shū'' soldiers. Many of these soldiers were armed with

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of flammable cord or twine that is in contact with the gunpowder through a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or Tri ...

rifles, which had recently been introduced to Japan. The temple was thus equivalent to a major Sengoku daimyō in terms of economic and military might. The temple enjoyed a good relationship with

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

, having assisted him during the

Ishiyama Hongan-ji War The was a ten-year military campaign that took place from 1570 to 1580 in Sengoku period Japan, carried out by lord Oda Nobunaga against a network of fortifications, temples, and communities belonging to the Ikkō-ikki, a powerful faction of J ...

from 1570 to 1580 and with

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

during the

Battle of Komaki and Nagakute The , also known as the Komaki Campaign (小牧の役 ''Komaki no Eki''), was a series of battles in 1584 between the forces of Hashiba Hideyoshi (who would become Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1586) and the forces of Oda Nobukatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu ...

in 1584; however, it earned the enmity of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

, who launched an invasion of Kii Province in 1585. During the Siege of Negoro-ji most of the temple was burned down. Since the temple surrendered without resistance, its burning has been subject to some controversy. It is not clear if the temple was burned on Hideyoshi's orders, by its defenders, or as an act of arson by the attackers. The main surviving structure, the "Daidenhōdō" was dismantled and taken away for use as the Main Hall of Tenshō-ji, which Hideyoshi planned as Nobunaga's mausoleum in Funaokayama, Kyoto. However, Tenshō-ji was never built. Following the

Siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

in 1615 and the destruction of the

Toyotomi clan The was a Japanese clan that ruled over the Japanese before the Edo period. Unity and conflict The most influential figure within the Toyotomi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three "unifiers of Japan". Oda Nobunaga was another primary ...

donated the buildings of Shoun-ji, a temple which had been built by Hideyoshi to mourn his infant son Tsurumatsu, to Negoro-ji, which had begun to rebuild. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the temple was patronized by the Kishū Tokugawa clan and continued to rebuild.

Archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

s have been conducted on the temple grounds from 1976, and excavation also unearthed numerous relics such as pottery, lacquerware, Buddhist implements, and weapons. These relics are stored and exhibited at the "Iwade Civic Museum" built on the premises. However, the grounds of the temple are increasing threatened by urban encroachment.

Cultural Properties

Buildings

; , National Treasure This is the largest Tahō-tō-style

Pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...

in Japan, with a height of 40 meters and a width of 15 meters. It houses a statue of the

Vairocana Vairocana (from Sanskrit: Vi+rocana, "from the sun" or "belonging to the sun", "Solar", or "Shining"), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Vairocana), is a major Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in text ...

Buddha inside a circle of 12 pillars. It is believed to have started construction around 1480, and was completed around 1547. based on a record found within the structure during modern dismantling and repairs. The structure also has bullet holes from the attack on the temple by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1585.The structure was designated a

National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

in 1899 ; , Important Cultural Property Along with the Daitō, this three by three bay structure is one of the few in the temple to ave survived in 1585 destruction of the temple. It is estimated to have been built around 1391 from the inscription on the principal image, a statue of Kōbō Daishi. It was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1944. ; , Important Cultural Property This building was rebuilt in 1824 by local carpenters with the assistance of craftsmen from Osaka and Echigo. It is a large three by two bay structure with a large open interior space, and a tile roof. The Daidenhō-dō contains three statues: a 3.5 meter seated

Dainichi Nyorai Vairocana (from Sanskrit: Vi+rocana, "from the sun" or "belonging to the sun", "Solar", or "Shining"), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Vairocana), is a major Buddhahood, Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpret ...

, with a 3.43 meter seated Kongosatta on the left and a 3.3 meter seated Sonshō Butchō on the right. These states were completed between 1387 and 1405 and are thus much older than the building itself. The grouping is very unusual, and statues of Sonshō Butchō are also extremely rare in Japan. The group was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1994. ; , Important Cultural Property This building was reconstructed in 1801 and designated 2019 ; , Important Cultural Property The main gate of the temple was reconstructed in 1845 and designated 2019 ; , Important Cultural Property This chapel dedicated to Fudō-myōō was reconstructed in the mid-Edo period and designated 2019 ; , Important Cultural Property This building was completed in the mid-Edo period and designated 2019 ; , Important Cultural Property This building was completed in the mid-Edo period and designated 2019

Gallery

Negoroji05s3200.jpg, Daimon Negorozi_11.jpg, Fudō-dō Negorozi_12.jpg, Fudō-dō interior Negoroji04s3200.jpg, Daidenhō-dō Negoroji01s3200.jpg, Daitō Pagoda Negoroji02s3872.jpg, Daishi-dō Negoroji Kogyodaishi Mausoleum.jpg, Oku-no-in Negoroji11s3200.jpg, Kōmyōshingon-den Negoroji25s3872.jpg, Gyōja-dō Negoroji14s3872.jpg, Gardens

References

External links