Seichō-ji (Kamogawa, Chiba)
Encyclopedia
, alternately called Kiyosumi-dera from an alternative pronunciation of the kanji
in its name, is a Buddhist temple
located in the city of Kamogawa
in Chiba Prefecture
, Japan. Along with Kuon-ji in Yamanashi Prefecture
, Ikegami Honmon-ji
in the south of Tokyo
, and Tanjō-ji
also in Kamogawa City, Seichō-ji is one of the "Four Sacred Places of Nichiren Buddhism
."
and the Obitsu River. The translation of the temple's name, meaning "clear, serene" probably originated in these natural features--Water running under the numerous daimyō oaks in the area.
The temple grounds contain the Great Kiyosumi Cypress
, a protected natural National Treasure
, known as a "thousand year cypress." Additionally, due to its altitude and scenic location, it is known as a prime tourist destination to watch the rising of the sun
.
, and the mountain became a spot for sangaku shinkō, a form of ancient mountain worship. Priest Ennin
visited in 836 and Seichō-ji became a temple of the Tendai
sect. The main hall
was destroyed by fire caused by lightning in 1096, and was rebuilt by the Provincial Governor MInamoto Chikamoto. During the Kamakura period
, Hōjō Masako
established a two-story pagoda
and a library containing over 4,000 sūtras
in 1219.
entered the temple as a student in 1233 at the age of 11. He was formally ordained at 16 and took the Buddhist name Zeshō-bō Renchō, then left in 1253 to study in Kamakura
and elsewhere. Because of its history, the temple is a daihonzan, or important religious center, of the Nichiren sect
of Buddhism.
ordered that the temple convert to the Shingon sect
to implement a government-sponsored Buddhist liturgy. In 1949 Seichō-ji was converted to a Nichiren temple.
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
in its name, is a Buddhist temple
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...
located in the city of Kamogawa
Kamogawa, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 35,257 and a population density of 184 persons per km². The total area was 191.30 km²...
in Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, Japan. Along with Kuon-ji in Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, Ikegami Honmon-ji
Ikegami Honmon-ji
is a Buddhist temple in the south of Tokyo, erected where Nichiren is said to have died.A short walk from Ikegami Station or Nishi-Magome Station , Ikegami Honmon-ji contains a number of buildings, most of which have been reconstructed since the bombing of 15 March 1945...
in the south of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and Tanjō-ji
Tanjō-ji
', is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Kamogawa in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kuon-ji in Yamanashi Prefecture, Ikegami Honmon-ji in the south of Tokyo, and Seichō-ji also in Kamogawa City, Tanjō-ji is one of the "Four Sacred Places of Nichiren Buddhism."- History :A temple was...
also in Kamogawa City, Seichō-ji is one of the "Four Sacred Places of Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
."
Location
Seichō-ji is located on Chiba Prefecture's second highest mountain, the 310-meter high Myōken-san. The temple grounds are within the borders of the Southern Bōsō Quasi-National Park. Myōken-san is the source of two of the Bōsō Peninsula's important rivers, the Yōrō RiverYōrō River
The is a river in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of . Under the Rivers Act of 1906 the Yōrō is designated as a Class 2 River....
and the Obitsu River. The translation of the temple's name, meaning "clear, serene" probably originated in these natural features--Water running under the numerous daimyō oaks in the area.
The temple grounds contain the Great Kiyosumi Cypress
Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
, a protected natural National Treasure
National treasures of Japan
National Treasures are the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs...
, known as a "thousand year cypress." Additionally, due to its altitude and scenic location, it is known as a prime tourist destination to watch the rising of the sun
Sunrise
Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Sunrise should not be confused with dawn, which is the point at which the sky begins to lighten, some time before the sun itself appears, ending twilight...
.
Early History
The priest Fushigi visited the location in 771 AD to worship the Kokūzō BosatsuAkasagarbha
Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as "boundless space treasury" or "void store" as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself...
, and the mountain became a spot for sangaku shinkō, a form of ancient mountain worship. Priest Ennin
Ennin
Ennin , who is better known in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi , was a priest of the Tendai school.- Birth and origin :...
visited in 836 and Seichō-ji became a temple of the Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
sect. The main hall
Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)
Main hall is the term used in English for the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound which enshrines the main object of veneration. Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them Butsuden,...
was destroyed by fire caused by lightning in 1096, and was rebuilt by the Provincial Governor MInamoto Chikamoto. During the Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
, Hōjō Masako
Hojo Masako
was the eldest child of Hōjō Tokimasa by his wife Hōjō no Maki, the first shikken, or regent, of the Kamakura shogunate. She was the sister of Hōjō Yoshitoki, and was married to Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura period...
established a two-story pagoda
Tō
The , sometimes also called or is the Japanese version of the Chinese pagoda, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868 a...
and a library containing over 4,000 sūtras
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
in 1219.
Association with Nichiren
Shortly after, under the priest Dōzen, NichirenNichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
entered the temple as a student in 1233 at the age of 11. He was formally ordained at 16 and took the Buddhist name Zeshō-bō Renchō, then left in 1253 to study in 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...
and elsewhere. Because of its history, the temple is a daihonzan, or important religious center, of the Nichiren sect
Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
of Buddhism.
Later History
In 1618 Tokugawa HidetadaTokugawa Hidetada
was the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...
ordered that the temple convert to the Shingon sect
Shingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
to implement a government-sponsored Buddhist liturgy. In 1949 Seichō-ji was converted to a Nichiren temple.
Important Structures and Cultural Treasures
- Central Gate, 1647
- Remains of Asahimori sutra moundSutra moundA is an archaeological site where sūtras were buried underground. In Japanese Buddhism, it is a type of good deed, and was done as a type of puja.- Description :...
, 1276 - Stone treasure pagodaTōThe , sometimes also called or is the Japanese version of the Chinese pagoda, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868 a...
, 1407 - Inscribed hōkyō “stone flag” pagoda, 1424
- Temple bell, 1392
- Standing bronze Kannon statue
- Standing wooden NyoraiTathagataTathāgata in Pali and Sanskrit) is the name the Buddha of the scriptures uses when referring to himself. The term means, paradoxically, both one who has thus gone and one who has thus come . Hence, the Tathagata is beyond all coming and going – beyond all transitory phenomena...
statue