Yoshimine-dera

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Entrance gate ( 山門 , Sanmon , " mountain gate ") of Yoshimine-dera

The Yoshimine-dera ( Japanese. 善 峯 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in the Nishikyō-ku district of the city of Kyoto , Japan . The temple name means in German summit of virtue temple. The temple is associated with the Tendai-shu belief . The main image of the temple is a statue of the thousand-armed Kannon . The Yoshimine-dera is the 20th temple of the Saigoku pilgrimage route ( 西 国 三十 三 箇 所 , Saigoku sanjūsankasho ).

overview

The temple is said to have been founded in 1029 by the priest Gensan. In September 1034, the temple was recognized by the Emperor Go-Ichijō as a temple for the protection of the state and was named Yoshimine-dera. The current main picture of a thousand-armed Kannon is said to be donated by Emperor Go-Suzaku in 1042 and is said to be the work of Prince Ninko. Thanks to the support of the imperial family, the temple soon comprised around 50 prayer halls and pagodas. Badly damaged during the Ōnin war , the temple was rebuilt in the Edo period at the instigation of the mother of the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi .

The entrance gate as well as the main hall date from 1692. The two guardian figures at the entrance are from the 12th century and are works by the artist Unkei. At the end of the 17th century, the bell tower, the fire hall, the founder hall and the library building were also built. The pagoda was reconstructed in 1621 and is registered as an important cultural asset.

North of the main hall grows the Yūryū no matsu ( 遊龍 の 松 ), the "jaw of the playing dragon". It is barely two meters high, but thanks to centuries of horticultural design, it extends around 22 meters to the north and 24 meters to the west. It has been under protection as a natural monument since 1932.

literature

  • English language temple information, Yoshimine-dera, Kyoto.
  • Valeria Jana Schwanitz and August Wierling: Saigoku. On the way in Japan's western lands . Manpuku-Verlag, Potsdam 2012, ISBN 978-3-9815168-0-7 .

Web links

Commons : Yoshimine-dera  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 34 ° 56 '17.4 "  N , 135 ° 38' 39.1"  E