Daiji-ji (大慈寺), also known as Daijizen-ji (大慈禅寺), is a

Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngshān ...

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple in

Minami-ku, Kumamoto is one of the five wards of Kumamoto City, Japan. Meaning literally "south ward," it is bordered by the Nishi-ku, Chūō-ku, Higashi-ku and also by the cities of Uki, Uto and the towns of Kashima, Mifune and Kōsa. As of 2012, it has a pop ...

, Japan. Its honorary '' sangō'' prefix is .

History

The temple was founded in 1278 by

Kangan Giin Kangan Giin (寒巌義尹, 1217–1300) was a disciple of Dōgen and the founder of the Higo school of Sōtō Zen Buddhism. It has been claimed that his father was Emperor Go-Toba or Emperor Juntoku. He did much evangelization work in Kyūshū, ...

with support of Kawashiri Yasuaki (川尻泰明), the local chief. Kangan Giin, a disciple of

Dōgen Dōgen Zenji (道元禅師; 26 January 1200 – 22 September 1253), also known as Dōgen Kigen (道元希玄), Eihei Dōgen (永平道元), Kōso Jōyō Daishi (高祖承陽大師), or Busshō Dentō Kokushi (仏性伝東国師), was a J ...

and the founder of the Higo school of Sōtō Zen Buddhism. It has long been known as the leading Sōtō Zen temple in

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

. The local scenery resembles that of Dàbēi shān (大慈山) in Mingzhou now

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

, China, where Giin practiced Zen Buddhism discipline. This temple has since been destroyed twice in the fire caused by war, and nothing of Giin's remains remain there. The current buildings are the

Edo-period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

Hondō Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...

dating to 1779.

Important Cultural Properties

The bronze bell, a 169 centimeter tall inside the main gate was built in 1269.

References

External links

Vol.12 Temple Daijiji - Sotozen-net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daiji-ji Religious buildings and structures completed in 1278 Soto temples Buddhist temples in Kumamoto Prefecture Buildings and structures in Kumamoto Tourist attractions in Kumamoto Prefecture 1270s establishments in Japan 1278 establishments in Asia