is a Buddhist temple of the
Tendai-shū, located in
Sakyō-ku of
Kyoto-shi, in the prefecture of
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...
, Japan. It is specified as a
natural monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance.
Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...
by the Kyoto government.
History
It was built in 1012 under the reign of
Emperor Sanjō
was the 67th emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empr ...
in the imperial year
Chōwa 2. Its original purpose was to serve as temple quarters for priests from the nearby
Shōrin'in temple.
Structure
One of the rooms features a blood stained ceiling that was originally a floorpiece from
Fushimi Castle
, also known as or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto.
Fushimi Castle was constructed from 1592 to 1594 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end of the Sengoku period as his retirement residence. Fushimi Castle ...
. The blood is from
Torii Mototada
was a Japanese Samurai and Daimyo of the Sengoku period through late Azuchi–Momoyama period, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Torii died at the siege of Fushimi where his garrison was greatly outnumbered and destroyed by the army of Ishida M ...
,
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...
's retainer, and several other men who committed
seppuku
, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese peop ...
when the castle they were garrisoned in as being overrun by
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the ...
's forces during the
siege of Fushimi castle. This battle delayed the Ishida forces, which gave Tokugawa Ieyasu time to prepare for the
Battle of Sekigahara
The Battle of Sekigahara ( Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 ( Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...
and eventually unify Japan under the
Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in ...
. Thus, Torii Mototada's act of valor is honored through having the bloody floorpiece serve as a piece of Hōsen-in.
Visiting
At the entrance, along with paying the fee, guests are given a ticket that can be used for refreshments at the end.
Guests are passed through a
washitsu
A , meaning "Japanese-style room(s)", and frequently called a "tatami room" in English, is a Japanese room with traditional tatami flooring. also usually have sliding doors (), rather than hinged doors between rooms. They may have and, if th ...
featuring such sights including a five-leafed pine.
This temple also features a garden called Hōrakuen, or "Treasure Paradise"
At the end, the refreshments ticket can be exchanged for green tea and some light snacks.
See also
*
Sanzen-in
*
Shōmyō
is a style of Japanese Buddhist chant, used mainly in the Tendai and Shingon sects. There are two styles: ''ryokyoku'' and ''rikkyoku'', described as difficult and easy to remember, respectively.
Shōmyō, like gagaku, employs the Yo scale ...
*
Suikinkutsu
A is a type of Japanese garden ornament and music device. It consists of an upside down buried pot with a hole at the top. Water drips through the hole at the top onto a small pool of water inside of the pot, creating a pleasant splashing sou ...
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hosen-in
Buddhist temples in Kyoto
Tendai temples