Sugimoto-dera
Encyclopedia
is a Buddhist temple in Kamakura
, Kanagawa Prefecture
, Japan
, one of the oldest temple in Kamakura and, together with Hōkai-ji
, the only one of the Tendai
denomination. The temple is Number one of the Bandō Sanjūsankasho
pilgrimage circuit. Two of the three statues of goddess Kannon it enshrines are Important Cultural Properties
. Sugimotodera is nicknamed Geba Kannon ("Dismount Kannon"), because horsemen never failed to dismount from their steeds when they passed by. (According to a different version of the legend, non-believers always fell from their horse when passing in front of the temple.) The temple is a of Hōkai-ji
.
on orders by Emperor Kōmyō, and is therefore the oldest of Kamakura's temples, predating the shogunate by half a millennium. The records say that in the 8th century priest Gyōki
was crossing the Kantō region
on foot when he saw Kamakura from Mount Taizō (the Taizōzan in the temple's name) and decided to leave there a statue of goddess Kannon. He then carved and enshrined it himself. Later in 734, Emperor Kōmyō was told by the goddess herself to build here a temple (the Hon-dō). Later, the temple was restored by Ennin
(794–864), and Eshin Sōzu Genshin
(942–1017) enshrined in it a statue of Eleven-faced Kannon, an event that made the temple surge to Number one of the Sanjusankasho pilgrimage circuit.
This is the tradition: the real history of the temple is in reality largely unknown, but Sugimoto-dera certainly predates the Kamakura period
(1185-1333) and is therefore, if not the oldest, among the oldest temples in Kamakura. The Azuma Kagami
calls it "Ōkura
Kannondō", or "Ōkura Kannon Hall", from the old name of the area where it stands.
The temple was visited in 1191 by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who ordered extensive repairs.
In 1337, well after the fall of the shogunate in 1333, there was a battle in the temple's premises between Hōjō supporters and Ashikaga forces, and more than 300 samurai lost their lives. The many small gorintō
(stone stupas) to the right of the main hall were laid there in memory of those who fell on that occasion.
The history of the temple during the Muromachi period is unfortunately not known.
(from 794 to 1185). In spite of its dubious attribution, the statue is a city Important Cultural Asset. The one in the middle is the statue said to have been made by Ennin, which also seems to go back only to the late Heian period and is a national Important Cultural Asset. The one on the right is the statue traditionally attributed to Genshin, which has been dated to the middle of the Kamakura period and is far too young to really be by him. This work too is a national Important Cultural Asset. Religious tradition notwithstanding, none of the statues seems therefore to be attributable to its supposed author.
One evening in 1189 a fire destroyed the entire Ōkura Kannondō, but the temple's bettō
, a man called Jōdai-bō, jumped into the fire and rescued the three statues, laying them under a cedar tree. From this episode stems the present name of the temple, which literally means "Under the cedar tree". The rescue was deemed miraculous, and greatly increased the temple's reputation and the number of its pilgrims. The story was later further embellished claiming that the statues repaired under the tree unaided, and simply were found under the tree.
Finally, the two warriors at the Niō gate (the Niōmon
, see photo), are attributed by the temple to famous sculptor Unkei
, but the claim is not supported by any evidence.
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...
, one of the oldest temple in Kamakura and, together with Hōkai-ji
Hōkai-ji (Kamakura)
is a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Often called , or "bush-clover temple", because those flowers are numerous in its garden, its existence is directly linked to a famous tragedy that on July 4, 1333 wiped out almost the entire Hōjō clan, ruler of Japan for 135 years...
, the only one 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 :...
denomination. The temple is Number one of the Bandō Sanjūsankasho
Bando Sanjusankasho
The is a series of 33 Buddhist temples in Eastern Japan sacred to Goddess Kannon. Bandō is the old name for what is now the Kantō region, used in this case because the temples are all in the Prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, Tokyo, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Chiba...
pilgrimage circuit. Two of the three statues of goddess Kannon it enshrines are Important Cultural Properties
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
. Sugimotodera is nicknamed Geba Kannon ("Dismount Kannon"), because horsemen never failed to dismount from their steeds when they passed by. (According to a different version of the legend, non-believers always fell from their horse when passing in front of the temple.) The temple is a of Hōkai-ji
Hōkai-ji (Kamakura)
is a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Often called , or "bush-clover temple", because those flowers are numerous in its garden, its existence is directly linked to a famous tragedy that on July 4, 1333 wiped out almost the entire Hōjō clan, ruler of Japan for 135 years...
.
History
According to the temple's own records, Sugimoto-dera was founded in the year 734 by priest GyōkiGyoki
was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province , to family of Korean Baekje descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15, and studied under master Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara , a core doctrine of...
on orders by Emperor Kōmyō, and is therefore the oldest of Kamakura's temples, predating the shogunate by half a millennium. The records say that in the 8th century priest Gyōki
Gyoki
was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province , to family of Korean Baekje descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15, and studied under master Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara , a core doctrine of...
was crossing the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
on foot when he saw Kamakura from Mount Taizō (the Taizōzan in the temple's name) and decided to leave there a statue of goddess Kannon. He then carved and enshrined it himself. Later in 734, Emperor Kōmyō was told by the goddess herself to build here a temple (the Hon-dō). Later, the temple was restored by 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 :...
(794–864), and Eshin Sōzu Genshin
Genshin
Genshin , also known as Eshin Sozu, was the most influential of a number of Tendai scholars active during the tenth and eleventh centuries in Japan...
(942–1017) enshrined in it a statue of Eleven-faced Kannon, an event that made the temple surge to Number one of the Sanjusankasho pilgrimage circuit.
This is the tradition: the real history of the temple is in reality largely unknown, but Sugimoto-dera certainly predates 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....
(1185-1333) and is therefore, if not the oldest, among the oldest temples in Kamakura. The Azuma Kagami
Azuma Kagami
The , or "mirror of the east", is a Japanese medieval text that chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō and his return to Kyoto in 1266...
calls it "Ōkura
Okura Bakufu
(also called is the name of shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo's first government. It took its name from the location in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture, where Yoritomo's palace used to stand. Ōkura in Kamakura is defined as the area comprised between Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, the Asaina Pass, the Namerigawa...
Kannondō", or "Ōkura Kannon Hall", from the old name of the area where it stands.
The temple was visited in 1191 by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who ordered extensive repairs.
In 1337, well after the fall of the shogunate in 1333, there was a battle in the temple's premises between Hōjō supporters and Ashikaga forces, and more than 300 samurai lost their lives. The many small 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...
(stone stupas) to the right of the main hall were laid there in memory of those who fell on that occasion.
The history of the temple during the Muromachi period is unfortunately not known.
Points of interest
The three sitting statues of Kannon that the Main Hall enshrines are the temple's main object of worship. The statue on the left is supposedly the one Gyōki built, but it appears to belong rather to the late Heian periodHeian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
(from 794 to 1185). In spite of its dubious attribution, the statue is a city Important Cultural Asset. The one in the middle is the statue said to have been made by Ennin, which also seems to go back only to the late Heian period and is a national Important Cultural Asset. The one on the right is the statue traditionally attributed to Genshin, which has been dated to the middle of the Kamakura period and is far too young to really be by him. This work too is a national Important Cultural Asset. Religious tradition notwithstanding, none of the statues seems therefore to be attributable to its supposed author.
One evening in 1189 a fire destroyed the entire Ōkura Kannondō, but the temple's bettō
Betto
is a term which originally indicated the head of an institution serving temporarily as the head of another one, but which came to mean also the full-time head of some institution...
, a man called Jōdai-bō, jumped into the fire and rescued the three statues, laying them under a cedar tree. From this episode stems the present name of the temple, which literally means "Under the cedar tree". The rescue was deemed miraculous, and greatly increased the temple's reputation and the number of its pilgrims. The story was later further embellished claiming that the statues repaired under the tree unaided, and simply were found under the tree.
Finally, the two warriors at the Niō gate (the Niōmon
Niōmon
The is the Japanese name of a Buddhist temple gate guarded by two wooden warriors called Niō . The gate is called Heng Ha Er Jiang in China and Geumgangmun in Korea. The two statues are inside the two posts of the gate itself, one at the left, one at the right...
, see photo), are attributed by the temple to famous sculptor Unkei
Unkei
Unkei was a Japanese sculptor of the Kei school, which flourished in the Kamakura period. He specialized in statues of the Buddha and other important Buddhist figures. Unkei's early works are fairly traditional, similar in style to pieces by his father, Kōkei...
, but the claim is not supported by any evidence.
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.