Shōren-in
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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 Awadaguchi Sanjōbōchō neighborhood of Higashiyama-ku,
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
,
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 ...
. It belongs to the
Tendai , also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...
sect of
Japanese Buddhism Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...
. It is also known as the . Its precincts were designated a National Historic Site in 1942.


History

Shōren-in originated from a small chapel called Shōren-bō built by
Saichō was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Japanese Tendai school of Buddhism. He was awarded the posthumous title of Dengyō Daishi (伝教大師). Recognized for his significant contributions to the development of Japanese Budd ...
in the eastern precinct of
Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by ...
. The site is currently the third parking lot of
Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana ...
. Shōren-bō was the residence of numerous famous monks including En'nin. It was moved to a location in Sanjō Shirakawa, slightly northwest of the current location at the end 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 ...
. In 1150,
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 ...
and Empress Bifukumon'in made Shōren-bō an official place of prayer for the imperial family. As a result, the temple's status began to rise. Furthermore, Emperor Toba had his seventh son, Prince Kakukai, making it became a ''
monzeki ''Monzeki'' (門跡) were Japanese Buddhist priests of aristocratic or Imperial lineage. The term was also applied to the temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as p ...
'' temple, and afterwards numerous sons of the imperial family and regent families served as chief priests. Prince Kakutai became the second head priest, but as for the succession,
Kujo Kanezane , also known as , is the founder of the Kujō family (at the encouragement of Minamoto no Yoritomo), although some sources cite Fujiwara no Morosuke (908–960) as its founder. Kanezane organised the compilation of the Kitano Tenjin Engi, the hi ...
pressured Kakukai to give it to his younger brother,
Jien was a Japanese poet, historian, and Buddhist monk. Biography Jien was the son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, a member of the Fujiwara clan of powerful aristocrats. His brother was the future regent Fujiwara no Kanezane. Jien became a Tendai mon ...
. 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 ...
, the temple was relocated to its current location on high ground to avoid flooding of the
Shirakawa River The is a river in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The river originates in the foothills of Mount Hiei on the outskirts of Kyoto, winds through the Geisha district of Gion, and eventually flows into the Kamo River. Its name, which means "white river" i ...
. This was the site of the former temple called Juraku-in. The tomb of
Emperor Hanazono was the 95th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Tomihito''- ...
, located southeast of the temple, is called "Jurakuin no Ueno Misasagi", which is a remnant of this name. By the 1220s, the name "Shōren-in Monzeki" first appeared in an Imperial decree of
Emperor Go-Saga was the 88th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. This reign spanned the years Kamakura period, 1242 through 1246. This 13th-century monarch, sovereign was named after the 9th-century Emperor Saga and ''go-'' (後 ...
issued on December 29, 1248. Meanwhile, a dispute over Jien's successor triggered the formation of two factions within Shōren-in, and the internal conflict over the position of ''monzeki'' continued for over 100 years until
Emperor Go-Daigo Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order o ...
mediated and the 16th head priest, Prince Jidō, handed over the position to the 17th head priest, Prince Sōnen. Of the successive chief priests, the third head priest, Jichin, is famous for being the author of the historical book ''
Gukanshō is a historical and literary work about the history of Japan. Seven volumes in length, it was composed by Buddhist priest Jien of the Tendai sect around 1220. Political problems arising from the relations between the Imperial government and ...
''. Jien was the son of the regent
Fujiwara no Tadamichi was the eldest son of the Japanese regent ('' Kampaku'') Fujiwara no Tadazane and a member of the politically powerful Fujiwara clan. He was the father of Fujiwara no Kanefusa and Jien. In the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, Tadamichi sided with the ...
, and was also known as a poet, and served as the head priest of the Tendai sect four times. The 17th head priest, Prince Sōnen, was the sixth son of
Emperor Fushimi was the 92nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1287 through 1298. Name Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was . Although the ...
and was known as a master calligrapher. Prince Sōnen's calligraphy style was called "Shōren-in style" and was the origin of the Japanese style of calligraphy "Goie style" that became widespread during the Edo period. During the
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 ...
, Gien, who later became the sixth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate,
Ashikaga Yoshinori was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of medieval Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His childhood name ...
, served as the head priest.
Shinran Shonin ''Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture'' by Esben Andreasen, pp. 13, 14, 15, 17. University of Hawaiʻi Press 1998, . was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of Fushimi, Kyoto) at the turbulent close ...
, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu
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 ...
sect, was ordained a monk at Shōren-in at the age of nine. In 1788 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 ...
, when the
Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan, located in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered ...
burned down in the Great Kyoto Fire of 1788, Shōren-in became the temporary palace of
Empress Go-Sakuramachi , posthumously honored as was the 117th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後桜町天皇 (120)/ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 1 ...
. It was therefore also known as the Awata Palace. Her study room was converted into a
tea room A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only serve ...
called "Kobun-tei". For this reason, Shoren-in was designated a National Historic Site. In November 1872, the medical hospital (currently the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Hospital, which had just been established in September, moved to Shōren-in and began operations, but in July 1880 , it moved to its current location. In 1893, a major fire occurred and most of the buildings of Shōren-in were lost. Reconstruction was carried out afterwards, with the current main hall completed in 1895. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
,
Empress Kōjun Nagako (6 March 190316 June 2000), posthumously honoured as Empress Kōjun, was a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the wife of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and the mother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. She was Empress of Japan from 1926 unti ...
's younger brother, Higashifushimi Kunihide became head priest. This made the temple a target of arson attacks by the
Japanese Communist Party The is a communist party in Japan. Founded in 1922, it is the oldest political party in the country. It has 250,000 members as of January 2024, making it one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party is chaired ...
and leftist radicals such as the Chukaku-ha. On April 25, 1993, the teahouse "Kobuntei" was burned down by an arson attack by the Chukaku-ha. His tenure was controversial in other ways, and he one had to face questioning in the
Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
after having sold off numerous Important Cultural Properties once held by the temple to other temples and private collectors to raise funds for the restoration and maintenance of Shōren-in. After Higashifushimi Kunihide's death at the age of 103 in 2014, the position of chief abbot was inherited by his son, Jikō Higashifushimi. The temple complex contains a number of buildings connected by corridors. The ''
honzon , sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon ( or ), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan. The image can be either a statue ...
'' of Shōren-in, a painting of the Shijōkōbuchō, is enshrined in a cabinet inside the hall, but it is a ''
hibutsu are Japanese Buddhist icons or statues concealed from public view. ''Hibutsu'' are generally located within Buddhist temples in shrines called . They are unavailable for viewing or worship except for certain religious ceremonies. It is possible i ...
'' image not usually open to the public. Shijōkōbuchō is a ''
Nyorai The Japanese word is the translation of the Sanskrit and Pali word '' Tathagata'', the term the historical Buddha used most often to refer to himself. Among his Japanese honorifics, it is the one expressing the highest degree of respect. Althoug ...
'' and is the principal image of the ''Shishōkō-hō'' ritual (a ritual to pray for the protection of the nation and the safety of the imperial family), which is said to be the greatest secret ritual of the Tendai sect, but it is rare for this Nyorai to be the principal image of a temple. The modern artist
Hideki Kimura is a common masculine Japanese given name. Written forms Hideki can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *秀樹, "excellence", "timber trees" *英樹, "superior", "timber trees" *英機, "superior", "chance" *秀喜, "exce ...
created a number of ''
fusuma In Japanese architecture, are vertical rectangular panels which can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room, or act as doors. They typically measure about wide by tall, the same size as a ''tatami'' mat, and are thick. The ...
'' sliding doors with blue lotus motifs to evoke the
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 ...
. The gardens include Tsukiyama Sensui Teien (a pond garden with a hill), said to have been created by
Sōami was a Japanese painter and landscape art, landscape artist. Family Sōami was the grandson and son of the painters and art connoisseurs Nōami and Geiami, respectively. Career Sōami was in the service of the Ashikaga shogunate and is cl ...
in the Muromachi period, and Kirishima Teien (a garden with a pond with a hill), said to have been created by
Kobori Enshū was a Japanese aristocrat, garden designer, painter, poet, and tea master during the reign of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Biography His personal name was Masakazu (政一). In 1604, he received as inheritance a 12,000-''koku'' fief in Ōmi Province at K ...
in the Edo period. On the west side of the temple grounds, there are four massive eight-hundred-year-old camphor trees (''kusunoki''), which are designated as a Natural Monument of Kyoto City. Kyoto Shorenin21n4272.jpg, Main gate Kyoto Shorenin15n4272.jpg, Tachibana and Sakura in front of main hall Kyoto Shorenin01n4272.jpg, Kusunoki Shōren-in, Kyoto - IMG 5015.JPG, Ko-Goshō.jpg Kyoto Shorenin10s4272.jpg, Fusuma by Hideki Kimura Blue Fudō.jpg, Blue Fudō Myōō (NT)


Blue Fudō Myōō

Shōren-in has a Heian period (mid 11th century)
Hanging scroll A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit East Asian painting and calligraphy. They are different from handscrolls, which are narrower and designed to be viewed flat on a table. Hanging scrolls are generally i ...
, color on silk, depicting
Fudō Myōō or Achala (, "The Immovable", ), also known as (, "Immovable Lord") or (, "Noble Immovable Lord"), is a wrathful deity and '' dharmapala'' (protector of the Dharma) prominent in Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism., Jp. rel. dict., ...
and two attendants. It was on loan to the
Nara National Museum The is one of the pre-eminent national art museums in Japan. Introduction The Nara National Museum is located in Nara, which was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. Katayama Tōkuma (1854–1917) designed the original building, which is a rep ...
, but in October 2014, a large hall for ''goma'' rituals, the "Seiryuden" was completed at Shogunzuka, located in an exclave of the temple in Higashiyama, were it is open to the public from October to December. It is one of the "Three Fudō Myōō" of Kyoto, along with "Yellow Fudō" at Onjo-ji (Mii-dera) and "Red Fudō" at
Mount Koya Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...
's Myōō-in. The scroll is 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 ...
. The one currently displayed in Seiryuden is a replica, and the national treasure itself is protected in a vault in the inner hall of the Seiryuden.


See also

*
List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings) The term "National Treasure (Japan), National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote Cultural Properties of Japan, cultural properties since 1897. The definition and the criteria have changed since the inception of the term. These paintings a ...
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Kyoto) This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan#Fu, Urban Prefecture of Kyōto Prefecture, Kyōto. National Historic Sites As of 24 October 2024, ninety-seven Sites have been Cultural Prope ...


References


External links


Shorenin Official website
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
)
Shorenin Official website
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoren-in Buddhist temples in Kyoto Tendai temples Historic Sites of Japan Shinran Monzeki