An'yō-in
The An'yō-in ( Japanese 安 養 院 ), whose full name is Gion-zan An'yō-in Chōraku-ji ( 祇 園 山 安 養 院長 楽 寺 ), is a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo school . It is named after the posthumous name of its founder Hōjō Masako . It is located in Kamakura , Kanagawa Prefecture , Japan and is the 3rd temple on the Bandō Sanjūsankasho pilgrimage .
history
Hōjō Masako founded the Chōraku-ji in Hase Sasamegayatsu in 1225 in honor of her late husband Minamoto no Yoritomo , the founder of the Kamakura shogunate . At that time the temple belonged to the Ritsu sect.
When Nitta Yoshisada attacked Kamakura in 1333 and ushered in the end of the shogunate, the temple was burned to the ground. The temple was merged with the Zendō-ji and took over its name and location.
In 1680 the temple (Zendō-ji) burned again. After its reconstruction, a statue of Senju Kannon (1000-armed Kannon) from Tashiro-ji in Hikigayatsu was transferred to the temple. With the relocation of the Kannon, both temples were merged.
Attractions
There are statues of Amida Nyorai and Senju Kannon in the temple .
A Chinese black pine that is over 700 years old stands on the temple grounds. Behind the temple there are two Hōkyō-intō . The smaller one is believed to be Masako's tomb. The other is the oldest in Kamakura and is considered an important cultural asset of Japan . The grave of the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa can be found in the small cemetery of the temple .
The temple is also known for its azalea blooms, which begin around the end of April (depending on the weather, around two to three weeks after the cherry blossom ends).
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 18 ′ 50.6 ″ N , 139 ° 33 ′ 19.6 ″ E