In this article, the topic of Engyō-ji will be addressed from a broad and detailed perspective, with the aim of offering the reader a complete and updated vision of this topic of interest. Various aspects related to Engyō-ji will be analyzed, including its origin, evolution, current impact and possible future perspectives. Likewise, different points of view and opinions from experts on the subject will be presented, in order to provide a comprehensive and enriching vision of Engyō-ji. In addition, case studies and concrete examples will be presented that exemplify the relevance and importance of Engyō-ji in different contexts. Through this article, we aim to provide the reader with a complete understanding of Engyō-ji, so that they can deepen their knowledge and obtain a broad and detailed vision of this interesting topic.
| Engyō-ji | |
|---|---|
圓教寺 | |
Maniden | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhist |
| Deity | Shaka Sanzon |
| Rite | Tendai |
| Status | functional |
| Location | |
| Location | 2968 Shosha, Himeji-shi, Hyōgo-ken |
| Coordinates | 34°53′28.1″N 134°39′29.3″E / 34.891139°N 134.658139°E |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Shōku |
| Completed | c.966 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
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Engyō-ji (圓教寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a Shaka Sanzon trinity. The temple's full name is Shosha-san Engyō-ji (書寫山 圓教寺).The temple is the 27th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route.[1] [2] [3] [4] It is the largest of the thirty-three temples of the Saigoku Pilgrimage and is located on Mount Shosha. Its status is so high that it is known as the "Mount Hiei of the West" and it was one of the three major training centers of the Tendai sect, along with Mount Hiei and Mount Daisen. Despite its location far from Heian-kyō, it was visited by many emperors, retired emperors and members of the aristocracy. The precincts of the temple were designated a National Historic Site in 1934.[5]
The temple grounds are divided into the "Higashidani" (East Valley) stretching from the Niōmon to the Jumyō-in sub-temple; the "Nakadani" (Central Valley) centered around the Maniden (Kannon Hall); and the "Nishidani" (West Valley) with its three halls (Sannō Hall) and Oku-no-in. Mount Shosha, where the temple complex is located, is 371 meters above sea level and is designated as a Mount Shosha Wildlife Protection Area (Special Protection Zone) by Hyōgo Prefecture.
Within the mountain is the Honda clan cemetery, the burial site of the Honda clan of Himeji Domain, which also contains the graves of Miyamoto Mikinosuke, the adopted son of Miyamoto Musashi, who served Honda Tadataki.
From 1398 during the Muromachi period until the Meiji Restoration, women were prohibited from entering the temple, so they would leave a talisman at the Nyōnin-dō (now Nyoirin-ji) at the entrance to the Higashizaka approach.
In recent years, the temple has been used as a filming location for the Hollywood movie "The Last Samurai" released in 2003 (Heisei 15), the NHK Taiga drama "Musashi" (2003), "The Tale of Genji: A Thousand-Year Mystery" (2011), "Tenchi Meisatsu" (2012), the NHK Taiga drama "Gunshi Kanbei" (2014), "Kakekomi Onna to Kakedashi Otoko" and "Kuroi no Shikaku" (2015), "Honnoji Hotel", "March Comes in Like a Lion", "Sekigahara" (2017), and "G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes" (2021).
The founding of this temple is uncertain. Mount Shosha was a holy mountain sacred to the kami Susanoo-no-Mikoto from prehistoric times. According to Buddhist legend, Mount Shosha was made from a handful of soil from Vulture Peak by Shaka Nyorai. A temple was founded by the monk Shōku in 966, and was originally called Shosha-ji (書寫寺). Shōku was a member of the aristocratic Tachibana clan and was already 36 years old when he became a monk. After spending about 20 years training in Kyushu, including Mount Kirishima and Mount Sefuri, he set out on a journey in search of sacred sites. In 966, at the age of 57, he established a hermitage on Mount Shosha, marking the beginning of Shosha-ji. In 970, he witnessed a heavenly being worshipping a sacred cherry tree on Mount Shosha. He ordered his disciple Anchin to carve a statue of Nyōirin Kannon from the living cherry tree and built a three-bay hall on the cliff. This was the founding of the Nyōirin-dō (Maniden). Shōku's biography is found in numerous historical sources, including the Genkō Shakusho and the Konjaku Monogatarishū, and he is described as despising mundane affairs and having no interest in glory or fame. Emperor Kazan, who held a particularly strong reverence for Shōku, visited the temple in 986 and bestowed it with the name Engyō-ji. He also donated 100 koku of rice, which the temple used to build a lecture hall. In addition to Emperor Kazan, many other members of the imperial family, including Emperor Go-Shirakawa and Emperor Go-Daigo, have visited the temple, and buildings have been renovated, remodeled, and built at imperial request. It is also known that Ippen and other Ji-shū leaders visited the temple, and just before his death, Ippen entrusted his teachings to the monks of Engyō-ji. The temple claims that Benkei was studied at Engyō-ji, and related items such as his desk are have been exhibited, but there is no definite proof that this is historically accurate.
In 1578 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, ordered by Oda Nobunaga to conquer the Chugoku region, invaded the temple during his invasion of Harima Province. He took the Maniden Hall's principal image, the Nyōirin Kannon statue, and other items as trophies to his stronghold at Nagahama in Ōmi Province. Before Hideyoshi's invasion, the temple boasted a landholding of 27,000 koku, was off-limits to messengers from the shugo, and flourished as one of the three major Tendai centers. However, Hideyoshi reduced the landholding to 500 koku, causing the temple's power to decline. The statue was eventually returned; however, this was not the original statue carved by Shōku (this had already been destroyed by a fire in 1492), but was a replacement carved from the same wood.
The Maniden hall was destroyed by fire in December 1921 but was rebuilt in 1933.
The temple is approximately six kilometers from Nozato Station on the JR West Bantan Line.
Media related to Engyō-ji at Wikimedia Commons