is a

Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...

temple in Itoshima,

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...

, Japan. Its honorary '' sangō'' prefix is . It is also referred to as . According to the legend, Sennyo-ji was founded in the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

by Seiga, who came from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

as a priest during the period. Due to its position in the north overlooking the Sea of Genkai, it has been expected from the shogunate as a prayer temple of the foremost line against the

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to Vassal state, vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attemp ...

during the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

. In its heyday has been said to be lined up to 300 priest living quarters around the temple. Sennyo-ji is a general term of this temple, and it is also referred to as the priest's lodge that was located next to the middle sanctuary, the present day site of Ikazuchi-jinja. The wooden

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (meaning "the lord who looks down", International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), also known as Lokeśvara ("Lord of the World") and Chenrezig (in Tibetan), is a Bodhisattva#Bhūmis (stages), tenth-level bodhisattva associ ...

statue is the subject of mountainous faith that has been enshrined in the main hall. Afterwards the priest living quarters were ruined during the long war between

Muromachi The , also known as the , is a division of History of Japan, Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially establ ...

and

Sengoku The was the period in Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as the period's start ...

periods, there only remains the priest's lodge. In 1573, however, the main hall was founded by Kuroda Tsugutaka, the 6th feudal lord of

Kuroda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan which came to prominence during the Sengoku period. Origins The Kuroda clan claimed its origins in Tōtōmi Province. Sengoku period In the 16th century, the Kuroda clan was located in Harima Province. Und ...

. Big maple trees, which has been designated as a natural monument of Fukuoka prefecture, has been said to be planted by him.

Mount Rai is a mountain located on the border of Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan. Outline This mountain is a part of the Sefuri Mountain range between Fukuoka Prefecture and Saga Prefecture. The peak is located on the Fu ...

has two sanctuaries, one at the middle of the mountain and one at its peak. The middle sanctuary was founded in honor of

Emperor Suinin , also known as was the 11th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Less is known about ''Suinin'' than his father, and likewise he is also considered to be a "legendary emperor". Both the ''Kojiki'', and t ...

whom he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 29 BC to AD 70. Both sanctuaries have been governed by the temple until 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 ...

. However, the priest's lodge in the middle sanctuary was abolished by the separation of Shinto from Buddhism, introduced after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. Cultural properties, such as Buddha statues including the main Buddha and the ancient documents, were moved to the main hall. The temple is also known for being a great place for

cherry blossom The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

viewing in the spring, and many people visit in the autumn to see the

fall foliage Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. The phenomenon ...

Important Cultural Properties

The 4.8 meter wooden Avalokiteśvara statue in the main hall is the work of the

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sennyo-Ji Buddhist temples in Fukuoka Prefecture Shingon Buddhism Buildings and structures in Fukuoka Prefecture Tourist attractions in Fukuoka Prefecture Shinbutsu bunri

Important Cultural Properties

See also

References

External links