Chōju-ji
Encyclopedia
is a Rinzai Buddhist temple
of the Kenchō-ji
school in Yamanouchi (a.k.a. Kita-Kamakura), near Kamakura
, Kanagawa Prefecture
, Japan
. It lies between two Kita-Kamakura landmarks, the entrance of the Kamegayatsu Pass and Kenchō-ji
, the oldest Zen
monastery in Japan. Chōju-ji is one of two , or funeral temples, dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji
, founder of the dynasty of shoguns that carries his name. (The other is Kyoto's Tōji-in
.) In its garden there are a gorintō
dedicated to the shogun and a hōkyōintō
containing some of his hair. Chōju-ji has recently opened for the first time its doors, and receives visitors from Friday to Sunday, 10 AM to 3 PM. The temple allows the use of pocket cameras, however professional and semiprofessional equipment are forbidden, the reason being that visitors shouldn't come to the temple to take photographs.
Ashikaga Motouji
, son of Takauji, on the grounds of a former family mansion. It was the second of his father's so-called bodhi temples, institutions dedicated to ensuring as much as possible his happiness in the next world.
Takauji died in Kyoto
at the beginning of that year at the age of 54 and was given two posthumous names (also meant to ensure his happiness in the beyond), one in Kyoto and one in Kamakura: the first was Tōji-inden, the second was Chōju-inden, from the names of his two funeral temples.
This version of the birth of the temple however has problems. In fact,
Takauji himself mentions Chōju-ji in a 1336 document, declaring it was "Kenchō-ji's archives". This highly trustworthy letter makes it likely that the founder was Takauji himself, and that the foundation date is at least 1336 if not earlier, thus contradicting the foundation date given by the temple's own records. It is likely therefore that the whole story of its foundation as Takauji's bodhi temple was simply a ruse by his son Motouji to symbolically tie rebellious Kamakura to the founder of the new dynasty of shoguns.
Because it had such such deep ties with the Ashikaga who had again usurped the power Emperor Go-Daigo had briefly managed to recover during the Kemmu restoration
, Chōju-ji for a long time faced the open hostility of the Imperial House. For this reason it had great difficulty surviving the Meiji restoration
.
" (the set of seven buildings that constitute the core of great temples). The bell now at Engaku-ji
's Butsuden was originally built here at great expense.
It now includes a Hon-dō (Main Hall), a Shoin
("drawing room"), a Kaisan-dō (Founder's Hall), and the Shohōjō (the chief abbot's living quarters), all recently restored and open to the public. (The Kaisan-dō houses a statue of goddess Kannon and is therefore also known as a Kannon-dō, or "Kannon's Hall".) Visitors are invited to sit anywhere they wish within the temple, relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Between the main hall and the abbot's residence lies the temple's Zen garden. In the front garden can be found a yagura
containing Ashikaga Takauji's grave (as already mentioned, there is another in Kyoto's Tōji-in
) and a great gorintō erected in his memory. The grave's hōkyōintō
contains some strands of the shogun's hair.
The temple owns several statues, all made during the Muromachi Period
, among them one of Ashikaga Takauji, one of his son Yoshiakira
, one of goddess Kannon, and one of the temple's founder, Kosen Ingen.
Buddhist temples in Japan
Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
of the Kenchō-ji
Kencho-ji
Kenchō-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which ranks first among Kamakura's so-called Five Great Zen Temples and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan. These temples were at the top of the Five Mountain System, a network of Zen temples started by the Hōjō...
school in Yamanouchi (a.k.a. Kita-Kamakura), near Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It lies between two Kita-Kamakura landmarks, the entrance of the Kamegayatsu Pass and Kenchō-ji
Kencho-ji
Kenchō-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which ranks first among Kamakura's so-called Five Great Zen Temples and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan. These temples were at the top of the Five Mountain System, a network of Zen temples started by the Hōjō...
, the oldest Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
monastery in Japan. Chōju-ji is one of two , or funeral temples, dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji
Ashikaga Takauji
was the founder and first shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Muromachi period of Japan, and ended with his death in 1358...
, founder of the dynasty of shoguns that carries his name. (The other is Kyoto's Tōji-in
Toji-in
is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai Tenryū sect located in Kita Ward, Kyoto, Japan, and one of two funeral temples dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji, first shogun of the Ashikaga dynasty. Its main object of worship is Shakyamuni, and its honorary sangō prefix is .- History :Tōji-in was founded at the...
.) In its garden there are a gorintō
Gorinto
is the name of a Japanese type of Buddhist pagoda believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai sects during the mid Heian period. It is used for memorial or funerary purposes and is therefore common in Buddhist temples and cemeteries. It is also called or , where the term sotoba...
dedicated to the shogun and a hōkyōintō
Hokyointo
A is a Japanese pagoda, so called because it originally contained the sūtra. A Chinese varianto of the Indian stūpa, it was originally conceived as a cenotaph of the King of Wuyue - Qian Liu.- Structure and function :...
containing some of his hair. Chōju-ji has recently opened for the first time its doors, and receives visitors from Friday to Sunday, 10 AM to 3 PM. The temple allows the use of pocket cameras, however professional and semiprofessional equipment are forbidden, the reason being that visitors shouldn't come to the temple to take photographs.
History
Much about the temple's history is unclear. According to the temple's records, Chōju-ji was founded in 1358 by Kamakura's Ashikaga ruler, Kantō kubōKanto kubo
was a title equivalent to shogun assumed by Ashikaga Motouji after his nomination to Kantō kanrei, or deputy shogun for the Kamakura-fu, in 1349. Motouji transferred his original title to the Uesugi family, which had previously held the hereditary title of , and would thereafter provide the Kantō...
Ashikaga Motouji
Ashikaga Motouji
-See also:* Kamakura, Kanagawa - The Muromachi and Edo periods* The article Nanboku-chō period...
, son of Takauji, on the grounds of a former family mansion. It was the second of his father's so-called bodhi temples, institutions dedicated to ensuring as much as possible his happiness in the next world.
Takauji died in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
at the beginning of that year at the age of 54 and was given two posthumous names (also meant to ensure his happiness in the beyond), one in Kyoto and one in Kamakura: the first was Tōji-inden, the second was Chōju-inden, from the names of his two funeral temples.
This version of the birth of the temple however has problems. In fact,
Takauji himself mentions Chōju-ji in a 1336 document, declaring it was "Kenchō-ji's archives". This highly trustworthy letter makes it likely that the founder was Takauji himself, and that the foundation date is at least 1336 if not earlier, thus contradicting the foundation date given by the temple's own records. It is likely therefore that the whole story of its foundation as Takauji's bodhi temple was simply a ruse by his son Motouji to symbolically tie rebellious Kamakura to the founder of the new dynasty of shoguns.
Because it had such such deep ties with the Ashikaga who had again usurped the power Emperor Go-Daigo had briefly managed to recover during the Kemmu restoration
Kemmu restoration
The is the name given to both the three year period of Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period, and the political events that took place in it...
, Chōju-ji for a long time faced the open hostility of the Imperial House. For this reason it had great difficulty surviving the Meiji restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
Structure
Like many other Buddhist temples, Chōju-ji used to be much larger and have a complete "shichidō garanShichidō garan
is a Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed by the word , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened to just garan. To which seven halls the term refers to varies, and...
" (the set of seven buildings that constitute the core of great temples). The bell now at Engaku-ji
Engaku-ji
right|thumb|A stone carvingNot to be confused with Enryaku-ji in Kyoto., or Engaku-ji , is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa prefecture to the south of Tokyo...
's Butsuden was originally built here at great expense.
It now includes a Hon-dō (Main Hall), a Shoin
Shoin
' is a type of audience hall in Japanese architecture that was developed during the Muromachi period. The term originally meant a study and a place for lectures on the sūtra within a temple, but later it came to mean just a drawing room or study. From this room takes its name the shoin-zukuri style...
("drawing room"), a Kaisan-dō (Founder's Hall), and the Shohōjō (the chief abbot's living quarters), all recently restored and open to the public. (The Kaisan-dō houses a statue of goddess Kannon and is therefore also known as a Kannon-dō, or "Kannon's Hall".) Visitors are invited to sit anywhere they wish within the temple, relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Between the main hall and the abbot's residence lies the temple's Zen garden. In the front garden can be found a yagura
Yagura (tombs)
are artificial caves used during the Middle Ages in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, as tombs and cenotaphs. It is likely that they were used only as tombs in the beginning, and that later they started being used as cenotaphs too. The dead are usually samurai, but priests and even artisans...
containing Ashikaga Takauji's grave (as already mentioned, there is another in Kyoto's Tōji-in
Toji-in
is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai Tenryū sect located in Kita Ward, Kyoto, Japan, and one of two funeral temples dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji, first shogun of the Ashikaga dynasty. Its main object of worship is Shakyamuni, and its honorary sangō prefix is .- History :Tōji-in was founded at the...
) and a great gorintō erected in his memory. The grave's hōkyōintō
Hokyointo
A is a Japanese pagoda, so called because it originally contained the sūtra. A Chinese varianto of the Indian stūpa, it was originally conceived as a cenotaph of the King of Wuyue - Qian Liu.- Structure and function :...
contains some strands of the shogun's hair.
The temple owns several statues, all made during the Muromachi Period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
, among them one of Ashikaga Takauji, one of his son Yoshiakira
Ashikaga Yoshiakira
was the 2nd shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1358 to 1367 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshiakira was the son of the founder and first shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji....
, one of goddess Kannon, and one of the temple's founder, Kosen Ingen.
See also
- The Glossary of Japanese BuddhismGlossary of Japanese BuddhismThis is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries...
for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture.