Temple names in Japan
Temples in Japan often have several names: in addition to the temple name in the narrower sense, there are so-called mountain names ( 山 号 , sangō ). For smaller, mostly subordinate temples, sub-temple names ( 院 号 , ingō ) are usually used .
Temple name
The temple name most commonly used in colloquial language ( Japanese 寺 号 jigō , also 寺 名 jimyō ) can be recognized by the ending -ji or -dera / -tera . These are the Sino-Japanese or Japanese reading of the character 寺 , which means something like temple: z. B. Zenkō-ji (Zenkō Temple), Hase-dera (Hase Temple).
Mountain name
Mountain names ( 山 号 , sangō ) can be recognized by the ending -san / -zan , literally mountain. This designation first appeared in China during the Six Dynasties and spread during the Sui and Tang dynasties and made its way to Korea and Japan with Buddhism . It was used to distinguish between temples with the same temple name. In many cases the name of the mountain region in which the temple in question was located was used. With the rise of Buddhism in Japan, temples in valleys and on plains were given mountain names that now had a metaphorical character. The Tōchō Temple ( Tōchō-ji ) located in the flat urban area of Fukuoka has the name of the mountain Nangaku-zan (southern mountain). Mountain names are usually prefixed to the temple name. In some cases the mountain name refers to the geographical location, such as B. at Hieizan Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei-zan .
"Sub-temple names"
Many Buddhist temples developed into extensive complexes with all kinds of smaller sub-temples in the course of their history. These were given "sub-temple names " ( 院 号 , ingō ) that end in -in . The character for in once meant something like court, was then transferred to smaller temple buildings. Sometimes the parent temple disappeared, so that today there are also independent temples with such names. The Muryōshu Temple in Kawagoe originally consisted of three sub-temples. One of them split off as an independent temple, from the second only the cemetery is preserved. Only the third, so-called “North Sub-Temple” ( Kita-in ) has been continued to this day. Formally it is Seiya-san Muryōshu-ji Kita-in (mountain name / temple name / sub-temple name). However, the "sub - temple name " Kita-in is now used as the temple name.
other names
Small sub-temples are also called -an ( 庵 , "hut, hermit's hut"), -bō ( 坊 , " monk's quarters") or -dō ( 堂 , "hall"). Some developed into independent temples while retaining their names.
Colloquial names
Popular names occasionally dominate famous temples. The Sensō Temple ( Sensō-ji ) in the Asakusa district of Tokyo is known nationwide as Asakusa-dera . The Saihō Temple ( Saihō-ji ) in Kyōto is usually called Koke-dera ( koke , "moss") because of its moss garden . In the case of Koya-san Kongōbu-ji , the mountain name Koya-san has become the name of the temple area and the surrounding area as a quasi-geographical name.
literature
- Seckel, Dietrich: Buddhist temple names in Japan. Steiner: Stuttgart. 1985 (Munich East Asian Studies; 37)