is a temple complex 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:...

, 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...

. The Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai 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...

 Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

 is the largest school in Rinzai Zen. This particular school contains within it more than three thousand temples throughout Japan, along with nineteen monasteries. The head temple was founded in the year 1342 by the Zen master

Zen master

Zen master is an umbrella title sometimes used to refer to an individual who has been recognized by an authorized Zen lineage holder and teacher as having met his or her own teacher's standards of realization or insight. These standards vary widely in different traditions, and may vary among...

 Kanzan Egen (1277–1360). Nearly all of the buildings were destroyed in the Ōnin War

Onin War

The ' was a civil war that lasted 10 years during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....

 in 1467; however, many of them have been rebuilt.

A difference between this and other schools of Rinzai Zen is that the Myōshin-ji school does not necessarily follow the set of established kōan for the sake of testing one's stage of enlightenment

Enlightenment (spiritual)

Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...

. Rather the Myōshin-ji school allows the master to specifically tailor kōan to a student's needs and background. This method diverges from the traditionally accepted canon of kōan.

Buildings

• Important Cultural Property of Japan
  • Chokushimon - Built in 1610.
  • Sanmon - Built in 1599.
  • Butsuden - Built in 1827.
  • Hattō - Built in 1656.
  • Dai-hōjō - Built in 1654.
  • Kuri - Built in 1653.
  • Sho-hōjō - Built in 1603.
  • Yokushitsu - Built in 1656.
  • Kyōzō
    Kyōzō
    in Japanese Buddhist architecture is a repository for sūtras and chronicles of the temple history. It is also called , , or . In ancient times the kyōzō was placed opposite the belfry on the east-west axis of the temple. The earliest extant kyōzō is at Hōryū-ji, and it is a two-storied structure....
    
     - Built in 1673.
  • Minamimon - Built in 1610.
  • Kitamon - Built in 1610.
  • Genkan - Built in 1654.
  • Shindō - Built in 1656.

File:Myoshin-ji 3.JPG|Sanmon
File:Myoshinji01s1920.jpg|Butsuden and Hattō
File:Myoshinji02n1800.jpg|Dai-hōjō
File:Myoshinji08s5s4272.jpg|Yokushitsu

See also

• List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-others)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
• Goto Zuigan
  Goto Zuigan
  was a Rinzai master and former chief abbot of Myōshin-ji and of Daitoku-ji, at that time the most important position in Rinzai. One of his students, of fifteen years, was author Huston Smith...
  
  
• Ichibata Yakushi Kyodan
  Ichibata Yakushi Kyodan
  Ichibata Yakushi Kyōdan is an independent school of Buddhism in Japan which places great importance on what they term genze riyaku in Yakushi . Previously affiliated with the Tendai and then the Myoshinji branch of Rinzai, today the school is still considered a part of the Rinzai despite having...
  
  
• For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  This 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...
  
  .

External links

• Myōshin-ji Official site
• Head Temples of Zen Buddhism
• Shunkōin (a sub-temple of Myōshin-ji)