Gyōgan-ji
The Gyōgan-ji ( Japanese 行 願 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kyoto in Japan . The temple is also known under the name Kōdō ( 革 堂 ), literally "leather hall". The temple is associated with the Tendai-shu belief . The main portrait of the temple is a statue of the thousand-armed Kannon . Gyōgan-ji is the 19th temple on the Saigoku pilgrimage route ( 西 国 三十 三 箇 所 , Saigoku sanjūsankasho ).
overview
The Gyōgan-ji was founded in 1004 by the monk Gyōen on the orders of Tennos Ichijō . According to the temple legend, Gyōen is said to have been converted to Buddhism through the martyrdom of a doe he hunted as a hunter . As a result, he wore a leather cloak, which also gave the temple its unofficial name.
The temple was initially located at the intersection of Ichijo-dōri and Okawa-dōri, was moved to its current position at Teramachi-dōri in 1590 as part of the city restoration under Toyotomi Hideyoshi . Large parts of the temple area were destroyed during a fire in 1708. Today's main hall dates from 1815, the bell tower was built in 1804.
The Gyōgan-ji is the scene of a ghost story from the Edo period . Every year in August, a plaque is issued in the Homotsukan Hall, which is said to be linked to this story.
literature
- Patricia Frame Rugola: The Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage Route . Dissertation, Ohio State University, 1986.
- Valeria Jana Schwanitz, August Wierling: Saigoku. On the way in Japan's western lands . Manpuku-Verlag, Potsdam 2012, ISBN 978-3-9815168-0-7 .
Coordinates: 35 ° 0 '58.7 " N , 135 ° 46' 3.9" E