Zenkō-ji
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is a
Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
located in the city of
Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The temple was built in the 7th century. The modern city of Nagano began as a town built around the temple. Historically, Zenkō-ji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the battles between Uesugi Kenshin and
Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...
in the 16th century, when it served as one of Kenshin's bases of operations. Currently, Zenkō-ji is one of the few remaining pilgrimage sites in Japan. Zenkō-ji was founded before
Buddhism 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 gra ...
in Japan split into several different sects. It currently belongs to both the
Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...
and Jōdoshū schools of
Mahayana Buddhism ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...
, and is co-managed by twenty-five priests from the former school, and fourteen from the latter. The temple enshrines images of the
Amida Buddha Amida can mean : Places and jurisdictions * Amida (Mesopotamia), now Diyarbakır, an ancient city in Asian Turkey; it is (nominal) seat of : ** The Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Amida ** The Latin titular Metropolitan see of Amida of the Roma ...
. According to legend, the image, having caused dispute between two clans, was dumped into a canal. It was later rescued by Honda Yoshimitsu. The temple was thus named "Zenkō," according to the Chinese transliteration of Yoshimitsu's name. The main Buddhist image is a ''hibutsu (secret Buddha)'', a hidden Buddha statue, not shown to the public. This ''hibutsu'' is rumored to be the first Buddha statue to ever be brought to Japan. The commandments of the temple require the absolute secrecy of the statue, prohibiting it to be shown to anyone, including the chief priest of the temple. However, a replica of the statue (''Maedachi Honzon'') has been created which can be shown publicly once every six years in spring, in a ceremony called Gokaichō. This event attracts many worshippers and visitors. When the statue was on display in 2003, Zenkō-ji cooperated with Motozenkō-ji and Zenkō-ji of Kofu,
Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...
. The most recent display of "Maedachi Honzon" lasted from the beginning of April to the end of June, 2022. It was originally scheduled to be displayed in 2021 but was delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The public showing period was also extended from the originally planned 57 days to 88 days with the goal of curbing the number of concurrent visitors. The temple contains a statue of Binzuru, a physician who was said to be Buddha's follower. Visitors to the temple touch the statue in order to cure their ailments. The temple also contains an inner prayer chamber, accessible to visitors. Currently, a daily morning ritual is held there by the high priest or priestess. From the inner chamber, a narrow staircase leads down to a completely dark corridor. In this corridor worshippers try to touch a metal key hanging on the wall, in order to gain enlightenment. The key represents the Key to the Western Paradise of the Amida Buddha.


History

According to the explanation of Zenkō-ji, The ''Hibutsu,'' or the Main Image of Zenkō-ji, moved from India to Japan by way of the Korean peninsula, in the 6th century, during the reign of
Emperor Kinmei was the 29th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261– ...
. Afterwards, it was moved several times before coming to rest at its present location in Nagano city. At the end of the
Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
(1185–1333), many temples copied Zenkō-ji's famous Buddha statue, and many new temples were built around the country, calling themselves "Zenkō-ji" or "Shin-Zenkō-ji" ("New Zenkō-ji"). In the
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
(mid-15th to 17th century), when the Zenkō-ji became embroiled in the struggles between Uesugi Kenshin and
Takeda Shingen , of Kai Province, was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' in feudal Japan. Known as the "Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyō with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period. Shingen was a warlord of great ...
, the chief abbot was afraid it would be burnt to the ground. He built a new Zenkō-ji in what is now Kōfu; it stands to this day. In 1598,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
moved the ''hibutsu'' to
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 ci ...
, and then to Shinano. The ''hibutsu'' and the Zenkoji temple itself have since been moved back to
Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...
. Zenkō-ji temple decided to pull out of the
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China. The relay, al ...
, in relation with the
2008 Tibetan unrest 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
and in solidarity with the Tibetan Buddhists. The Zenkō-ji temple was then vandalized.Japanese temple sprayed with graffiti after withdrawing from Olympic torch relay


Inside the compound

The Zenkō-ji compound contains many interesting and historically significant buildings. The compound is arranged in a linear fashion, from the south to the north, so that worshipers and visitors would likely see the buildings in this order. Admission to most of the buildings at the compound is covered by a ticket which costs ¥500. The ticket can be re-used at different buildings.


Daihongan

Immediately on the left, from the southern entrance, this Jōdo Sect temple houses the nunnery and the residence of the high priestess.


Niōmon

The Niōmon gate features two impressive Niō guardians, which protect the compound from enemies of Buddhism. The two statues were reconstructed in 1918 after a fire.


Original Main Hall

The original Main Hall is located on the left, after the Niōmon gate.


Daikanjin

Located on the left, after the original Main Hall site, this Tendai Sect temple houses the residence of the chief priest. The temple's compound contains a garden and a treasure house, which contains the illustrated scroll of '' The Tale of Genji''. These areas are not open for public viewing.


Rokujizō

The Rokujizō are located to the right of the Daikanjin. The Rokujizō are statues of the six Bodhisattvas, who gave up Buddhist enlightenment, in order to provide salvation to others. The Bodhisattvas are said to be able to commune with the six realms of hell, starvation, beasts, carnage, human beings and divine beings.


Sanmon

The Sanmon Gate is considered an Important Cultural Property. It contains five wooden Buddhist statues (not available for public viewing), as well as a plaque with calligraphy by the Imperial prince, which is said to contain five hidden doves in the lettering. Reconstruction of the Sanmon Gate began on October 1, 2002 and was scheduled to end on December 31, 2007.


Kyōzō

The Kyōzō is located on the far left from the Sanmon Gate. It is also an Important Cultural Property. The building contains a repository of printed Buddhist sutras, and visitors get to rotate the octagonal
sūtra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...
holder, in order to gain enlightenment. The Kyōzō was constructed in 1759, although the sūtra holder was made in 1694.


Zenkō-ji Hon-dō

This is the Main Hall, located at the northern end of the compound. It is considered a National Treasure.


References


Further reading

* * Graham, Patricia J. (2007) ''Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art'' (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press) .


External links


Zenkō-ji Official Site (Japanese)
This is an excellent overview of Zenkō-ji, with many good photographs. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zenko-Ji Buddhist temples in Nagano Prefecture 644 establishments Tendai temples Jōdo-shū Buildings and structures in Nagano (city) National Treasures of Japan Religious buildings and structures completed in the 640s 7th-century Buddhist temples Temples of Amitābha Important Cultural Properties of Nagano Prefecture Jōdo-shū temples