Category: Tomb of a historical figure

  • Soken-in (総見院), Daitokuji

    Soken-in (総見院), Daitokuji

    Soken-in Temple is a sub-temple of Daitokuji Temple. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Soken-in Temple in 1583 as a memorial to Oda Nobunaga, who fell in the Honnoji Incident. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the man who united Japan after the death of Oda Nobunaga, following his legacy. In the main hall is a wooden seated statue of Lord…

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  • Raigoin Temple (来迎院) in Ohara

    Raigoin Temple (来迎院) in Ohara

    Jikaku Daishi Ennin founded the Raigoin Temple in the early Heian period as a center for Tendai Shomyo (Tendai Buddhist chanting). In 1109, Ryonin rebuilt the temple. The reconstruction of the temple resulted in the establishment of the Lower Hall, with Shorinin as the main building, and the Upper Hall, with Raigoin as the main…

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  • Takiguchidera Temple (滝口寺)

    Takiguchidera Temple (滝口寺)

    Takiguchidera Temple is a very small temple next to Gioji Temple in Saga area. This temple began as an Oujo-in temple in the Heian period. The temple was abandoned during the Meiji period due to the abolition of Buddhism. It was rebuilt together with Gioji Temple in the Showa period. This temple is famous for…

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  • Konpukuji Temple (金福寺)

    Konpukuji Temple (金福寺)

    If you are interested in Haiku or Matsuo Basho, Konpukuji Temple has a trace of Basho and other important Haiku poets. Konpukuji Temple is a temple of the Nanzenji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. It is a sacred place for haiku pilgrims. Konpukuji Temple was built in 864, and was rebuilt by monk Tesshu in…

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  • Shoden Eigen-in Temple (正伝永源院)

    Shoden Eigen-in Temple (正伝永源院)

    Shoden Eigen-in is a sub-temple of Kenninji Temple, the head temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism. In the Kamakura period, when the temple was founded, there were two temples, Shoden-in and Eigen-an. However, during the confusion caused by the abolition of Buddhism in the Meiji period (1868-1912), Eigen-an was unfortunately uninhabited and was immediately…

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  • Kenninji Temple (建仁寺)

    Kenninji Temple (建仁寺)

    In 1202, Minamoto no Yorike, a shogun of the Kamakura period, donated the temple area and founded the Kenninji Temple. Eisai designed the temple, modeling it after Hyakjōzan in the Song Dynasty. In 1259, a Zen monk from the Song Dynasty, Rankei Doryu, founder of Kenchoji Temple, entered the temple, and it became a purely…

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  • Chion-in Temple (知恩院)

    Chion-in Temple (知恩院)

    Chion-in Temple is the head temple of the Jodo sect. Chion-in Temple is where Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect, established a hermitage in 1175 and began to propagate Nembutsu (the recitation of the Nembutsu prayer). In the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hidetada, and Iemitsu built the present main hall, Sanmon gate, and other…

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  • Kodaiji Temple (高台寺)

    Kodaiji Temple (高台寺)

    Kodaiji Temple is located between the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Yasaka-Jinja Shrine, up the mountain side from a narrow path commonly called Nene-no-michi. Temple’s official WEB site History of Kodaiji Temple Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s wife, Nene (Kita-no-Mandokoro) founded the Kodaiji Temple in 1606 as a place of mourning for Hideyoshi. There are many important cultural assets…

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  • Honen-in Temple (法然院)

    Honen-in Temple (法然院)

    Leaving the Philosopher’s Path before reaching Ginkakuji Temple, visitors will find Honen-in Temple on the east side of the mountain. This temple was founded in 1680, in the early Edo period. The origin of the temple is as follows. Emperor Go-Toba was the one who later caused the Jokyu Rebellion and was exiled to Oki.…

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  • Nison-in Temple (二尊院)

    Nison-in Temple (二尊院)

    Nison-in Temple is located north of Jojakkoji Temple. Passing through the main gate is a wide path called “Momiji no Baba”. Straight ahead is a wall. The history of Nison-in Temple dates back to the third Tendai Zashu (Ennin). He built the temple in the Jowa period (834-848) at the request of Emperor Saga. Temple’s…

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  • Anrakuji Temple (安楽寺)

    Anrakuji Temple (安楽寺)

    Anrakuji Temple is a temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333) Two of Honen’s disciples, Juren and Anraku, built a hermitage as a place to practice Nembutsu (the recitation of the Lotus Sutra). Honen-in Temple near Ginkakuji Temple is said to have been built on the site of this hermitage.…

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  • Shokokuji Temple (相国寺)

    Shokokuji Temple (相国寺)

    From the Imadegawa Gomon gate on the north side of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, walk north past the Doshisha University campus and you will soon come to Shokokuji Temple. Shokokuji Temple is the head temple of the Shokokuji School of the Rinzai Sect of Zen Buddhism. Temple’s official WEB site The temple was founded by…

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  • Seiryoji Temple (清凉寺)

    Seiryoji Temple (清凉寺)

    Seiryoji Temple, commonly known as Saga Shakado, has Shakyamuni as its principal deity. The standing statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in the main hall is a national treasure and came from India. This statue is usually kept secret and is only open to the public during special visits. Seikaji Temple, the predecessor of Seiryoji Temple, is…

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  • Gioji Temple (祇王寺)

    Gioji Temple (祇王寺)

    According to the Tale of the Heike and the Genpei Seisuki, Gioji Temple is where Shirabyoshi (dancer) Gio became a nun at the then Saga Oujoin Temple along with his mother Toji and sister Kojo. Taira no Kiyomori once favored her but later treated her coldly. That’s why Gio decided to become a nun. The…

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  • Nanmei-in (南明院)

    Nanmei-in (南明院)

    Nanmei-in Temple is one of the sub-temples of Tofukuji Temple and is located at the southernmost point of the Tofukuji site. In the temple’s precinct, there is the grave of Princess Asahi or Asahi Hime. She was a sister of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and regular wife of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Of course, it must have been a…

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  • Sekihoji Temple (石峰寺) Temple associated with Ito Jakuchu

    Sekihoji Temple (石峰寺) Temple associated with Ito Jakuchu

    Sekihoji Temple is a temple of the Őbaku school of Zen Buddhism. The temple has distinctive Chinese-style gates, which is a characteristic of Obaku School. It is the place where Ito Jakuchu built a hamplet and spent the last years of his life. You can find his cemetery in the temple ground (there is his…

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