Kennin-ji

The Kennin-ji ( Japanese 建仁寺 , literally Kennin Temple.) Is one of the oldest Zen temple in Japan and a main temple of the Rinzai school , one of the two largest schools of Japanese Zen - Buddhism . Its name is derived from the government motto Kennin (1201-1204) used during the construction . The temple is located in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto .

history

The Gate for the Imperial Messenger ( Chokushimon )

The main gate ( Sammon )

Dharma Hall ( Hattō )

In 1202 Eisai , who had initially lived in Kyushu after his return from China, received a plot of land in the capital Kyōto from the Shogun Minamoto no Yoriie in order to build the city's first large Zen temple. The Kyōto resident Tennō Tsuchimikado allowed this project on condition that in addition to the exercises of Zen Buddhism, the esoteric rituals of the Shingon school and the meditation technique ( shikan ) of the Tendai school were taught in specially built halls. In addition, the temple was incorporated as a branch temple ( betsuin ) in the temple complex of Mount Hiei ( Hiei-zan ) north of the city .

The Shogun Minamoto no Yoriie was canceled in the year construction began, but Eisai was able to rely on the support of his successor Minamoto no Sanetomo and Hōjō Masako , the influential widow of the first Kamakura Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo , for whom Eisai had performed the first devotional rites in 1200, assure. Despite this, Eisai and his new temple were exposed to massive hostility from the established Buddhist schools and the imperial court in Kyoto for several years. In the year 1205, for example, the destruction caused by violent winds in the capital was attributed to the wearing of foreign, i.e. H. of Chinese robes at Kennin Temple too. According to a popular anecdote, Eisai remarked that those who believed it should show him respect for his supernatural powers.

Eisai died at the temple on the fifth day of the seventh month in 1215. Whether Dōgen , the later founder of the Sōtō School , the second major Zen school in Japan, became a student at the Kennin Temple before Eisai's death or only two years after, is a matter of debate. Most scholars do not rule out a meeting of Eisai and Dōgen, but doubt that Dōgen, as he stated in his own memoirs, was a direct disciple of Eisai. Because he stayed in those years in the Jufuku temple in Kamakura . Dōgen was probably a student of Myōzen , Eisai's successor in the Kennin Temple. Until 1230, when he moved to Annyō-in in Fukakusa , a few kilometers to the south, Dōgens' main residence remained the Kennin Temple, where he wrote his treatise on zazen and theoretical basic writing for the later Sōtō school under the title Hukan Zazengi composed.

Around the middle of the 13th century, the temple suffered severe damage from several fires. In 1258 it was rebuilt by Enni Ben'en ( 圓爾辯圓 ; 1201–1280). Only with the term of office of the eleventh temple head, Lanxi Daolong ( Chinese 蘭溪道隆 , Pinyin Lánxī Dàolóng , W.-G. Lan-hsi Tao-long ; Japanese Rankei Dōryū; 1213-1278) was taught only Zen at the Kennin Temple .

Towards the end of the Kamakura period , the temple became part of the Gozan system, making it officially and practically one of the most influential Zen temples in the country during the Muromachi period . After his arrival in Japan, the Chinese Chan monk Qingzhuo Zhengcheng ( Chinese 淸拙正澄 , Pinyin Qīngzhuó Zhèngchéng , W.-G. Ch'ing-cho Cheng-ch'eng ; Japanese Seisetsu Shōchō; 1274-1339) taught here . ..

In the 16th century there was again severe damage from fires. It was not until the 17th century that the facility was restored thanks to donations from the Ankoku and Tofuku temples under the patronage of the Toyotomi family.

The attachment

Kennin-ji's plan

The complex, flanked by nine sub-temples ( 塔頭 , tatchū ) on the site and another five outside, consists of the following buildings:

The gate for the imperial envoy ( 勅使門 , chokushi-mon ) comes from the late Kamakura period and is declared an important cultural asset . The pillars show many arrow scars from the Sengoku period , so the gate is also called the Arrow Trail Gate. The gate, which is covered with copper sheet, is not open for passage.
The main gate ( 三門 , sammon), executed as Nijūmon , bears the inscription "High gate with a view of the imperial palace" ( 望闕楼 , hōketsurō ). Shaka Nyorai and 16 rakan are set up on the upper floor .
The teaching or Dharma hall ( 法堂 , hattō ) was built in 1765. It is also used as a Buddha hall. The ceiling was painted in 2002 by Koizumi Junsaku (1924–2012) with a pair of dragons.
The abbot's residence ( 方丈 , hōjō ) was transferred here from Ankokuji Eikei ( 安国寺恵瓊 ) in 1599 . It is declared an important cultural asset . In front of it is a gravel garden decorated with large boulders .
To the north of the residence is the tea pavilion ( 東陽 ō , Tōyōbō ). It is said to have been built in 1587 at the instigation of Tōyōbō Chōsai (1514–1598), an important student of Rikyū .
The bath ( 浴室 , yokushitsu ) dates from 1628. Inside, it is divided into a waiting room, the steam bath and a supply room.
Eisai's grave is located in the founder's hall ( 開山堂 , kaizandō ), which is not open to the public .
The monks' quarters ( 本坊 , hombō ).
and (10): West Gate and North Gate.

Art treasures

As a national treasure, the temple has the umbrella pair “God of wind and thunder”. The pair is neither signed nor stamped, but is considered a work of Tawaraya Sōtatsu . A copy can be seen in the temple, the original is now kept in the Kyōto National Museum. Only one copy is issued in the residence.

In the abbey residence, five rooms were decorated with ink paintings that were given to the Kyoto National Museum for safekeeping.

The largest room, Shitsuchū-no-ma, is decorated with pictures of the "Seven Wise Men in the Bamboo Grove" ( 竹林七賢 , chikurin shichiken ) by Kaihō Yūshō (1533–1615).
In Ihatsu-no-ma you can see pictures of the four arts cultivated in China on the walls .
The Shoin-no-ma is decorated with pictures of flowers and birds.
The Dana-no-ma is adorned with landscapes.
Images of dragons can be seen in the Rai-no-ma.