is a

Rinzai The Rinzai school (, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng), named after Linji Yixuan (Romaji: Rinzai Gigen, died 866 CE) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, along with Sōtō and Ōbaku. The Chinese Linji school of ...

temple of the Myoshin-ji branch located in Niiza city,

Saitama prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

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 ...

, a city just outside

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

History

The temple was founded in

Iwatsuki, Saitama was a city located within Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 109,580 and the density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symb ...

in 1375 by Sekishitsu Zenkyū, who had served as the Abbot of

Engaku-ji , or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo. Founded ...

Tenryū-ji , formally known as , is the head temple of the Tenryū-ji branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, located in Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Bud ...

and Shōfuku-ji. During this period the original temple was destroyed in 1590 during an attack on

Iwatsuki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Tateyama Castle was home to the Ōoka clan, ''daimyō'' of Iwatsuki Domain, however the castle dates from the Muromachi period and ...

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: ...

. It was rebuilt in 1603 by

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 ...

and moved to Niiza city sixty years later. The temple grounds are situated in a

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

ed area and is considered to be a national monument. Heirin-ji differs from other temples in the Tokyo area by having no temple markets nor public festivals held at the temple. The temple remains a training temple for monks, who can often be seen working in the grounds. The grounds of the temple preserve a stretch of the Musashino woodlands. Animals such as

raccoon dog ''Nyctereutes'' (Greek: ''nyx, nykt-'' "night" + ''ereutēs'' "wanderer") is a genus of canid which includes only two extant species, both known as raccoon dogs: the common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides'') and the Japanese raccoon do ...

s that are now not often seen in the city are found around the temple. The grounds also provide a roost for a large number of Japanese crows. The gardens are notable for the

maple tree ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

s in autumn and the ''

ume ''Prunus mume'', the Chinese plum or Japanese apricot, is a tree species in the family Rosaceae. Along with bamboo, the plant is intimately associated with art, literature, and everyday life in China, from where it was then introduced to Kor ...

'' blossoms in early spring. The bell, with the ''ume'' blossom, was the inspiration for one of

Toshi Yoshida Toshi may refer to: * Toshi (given name), people with the given name ''Toshi'' * Toshihiko Tahara (born 1961), Japanese idol singer, a solo vocalist * Toshi (musician) (Toshimitsu Deyama, born 1965), a Japanese singer and musician * Toshi (comedian ...

's wood block prints.McDonagh

Gallery

Image:Heirinji temple bell stand.jpg, Temple bell of Heirinji. Image:Heirinji_temple_guardian.jpg,

Nio Nio or NIO may refer to: * NI Opera, Opera company * Nio (Buddhism), guardians of the Buddha * Nio Inc., a Chinese electric automobile manufacturer * Nicaraguan córdoba, currency by ISO 4217 currency code * National Institute of Oceanography (d ...

, a temple guardian. Image:Heirinji_face_of_guardian.jpg, Nio, a temple guardian. Image:Heirinji_inner_gate.jpg, The thatched inner gate. Image:Heirinji_temple_bell.jpg, The temple bell. Image:Heirinji Kannon.jpg, A statue of

Kannon Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

a goddess of mercy. Image:Heirinji_autumn_colours.jpg,

Maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

tree in autumn at Heirinji

Notes

References

* * 1375 establishments in Asia Myoshin-ji temples 14th-century Buddhist temples Natural monuments of Japan Buddhist temples in Saitama Prefecture 1370s establishments in Japan Saitama Prefecture designated tangible cultural property Prefecturally designated scenic spots Designated historic sites of Saitama Prefecture Temples of Gautama Buddha {{zen-stub