Toyokawa Inari
Encyclopedia
is the popular name for a Buddhist
temple
of the Sōtō sect
located in the city of Toyokawa
in eastern Aichi Prefecture
, Japan
. The temple’s true name is , or full name is . Despite the torii
gate at the entrance, and the popular identification of its main image of veneration
(a Juichimen Kannon) with Inari Okami, the Shinto
kami
of fertility, rice, agriculture, industry and worldly success, the institution is a Buddhist temple and has no overt association with the Shinto religion.
had studied Tantric Buddhism in Song Dynasty
, China
. Per his teachings, the main object of veneration, Juichimen Kannon was identified as an avatar
of the Toyokawa Dakinishinten
, who is depicted in Japanese Buddhist iconography as a female deity riding on a white fox.
In the period of Shinbutsu shūgō
, the line between Buddhism and Shinto became blurred, and images of a goddess on a fox were associated with Ukanomitama-no-mikoto
, the goddess of agriculture, who used the white fox
as her messenger.
The temple was patronized in the Sengoku period
by Imagawa Yoshimoto
, Oda Nobunaga
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
and Tokugawa Ieyasu
, and by pilgrims from the merchant classes in the Edo period
through the modern period.
or later; however, the Sanmon
dates from 1536 and is the oldest existent buildings in the complex. The Main Hall
was reconstructed in the Tempo period
(1830-1843), and several other buildings also date from the Edo period. In terms of registered cultural properties, the temple has a wooden Kamakura period
statue of Jizo Bosatsu
which is a National Important Cultural Property
.
in Gifu Prefecture
, the Owari Thirty-three Kannon
in western Aichi Prefecture, and the Mikawa Thirty-three Kannon
(三河三十三観音) in eastern Aichi Prefecture to form a pilgrimage route known as the Tōkai Hundred Kannon
.
Buddhism in Japan
The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the Nara period , the Heian period and the post-Heian period . Each period saw the introduction of new doctrines and upheavals in existing schools...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of the Sōtō sect
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
located in the city of Toyokawa
Toyokawa, Aichi
is a medium-sized city of about 180,000 people located in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The city, founded on June 1, 1943, originally comprised the three formerly independent Hoi-gun towns of Toyokawa , Ko , Ushikubo , and the village of Yawata...
in eastern Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō 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 temple’s true name is , or full name is . Despite the torii
Torii
A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...
gate at the entrance, and the popular identification of its main image of veneration
Gohonzon
Gohonzon , is the object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism. In Japanese, go is an honorific prefix indicating respect and honzon means object of fundamental respect, veneration, or devotion...
(a Juichimen Kannon) with Inari Okami, the Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
of fertility, rice, agriculture, industry and worldly success, the institution is a Buddhist temple and has no overt association with the Shinto religion.
History
The temple was founded in 1441 by a Buddhist priest named , whose distance predecessor, Kangan GiinKangan Giin
Kangan Giin was a disciple of Dōgen and the founder of the Higo school of Sōtō Zen Buddhism. It has been claimed that his father was Emperor Go-Toba or Emperor Juntoku. He did much evangelization work in Kyūshū, where he founded Daiji-ji in Kumamoto. This temple has since been destroyed by fire...
had studied Tantric Buddhism in Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Per his teachings, the main object of veneration, Juichimen Kannon was identified as an avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of the Toyokawa Dakinishinten
Dakini
A dakini is a tantric deity described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy. In the Tibetan language, dakini is rendered khandroma which means 'she who traverses the sky' or 'she who moves in space'. Sometimes the term is translated poetically as 'sky dancer' or 'sky walker'. The dakini, in...
, who is depicted in Japanese Buddhist iconography as a female deity riding on a white fox.
In the period of Shinbutsu shūgō
Shinbutsu Shugo
, literally "syncretism of kami and buddhas" is the syncretism of Buddhism and kami worship which was Japan's religion until the Meiji period...
, the line between Buddhism and Shinto became blurred, and images of a goddess on a fox were associated with Ukanomitama-no-mikoto
Ukanomitama
Uga-no-Mitama or Uga-no-Mitama-no-kami and Uka-no-Mitama are a pair of deities in classical Japanese mythology, associated with agriculture and sometimes identified with Inari, the Fox Spirit. Uga-no-Mitama-no-kami is translated as "the spirit of the rice in storehouses."...
, the goddess of agriculture, who used the white fox
Kitsune
is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume...
as her messenger.
The temple was patronized in the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
by Imagawa Yoshimoto
Imagawa Yoshimoto
was one of the leading daimyo in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He was one of the dominant daimyo in Japan for a time, until his death in 1560....
, Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
and Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, and by pilgrims from the merchant classes in the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
through the modern period.
Cultural Properties
Most of the temple was rebuilt in the Meiji periodMeiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
or later; however, the Sanmon
Sanmon
A , also called is the most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen shichidō garan, the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple. It can be however often found in temples of other denominations too...
dates from 1536 and is the oldest existent buildings in the complex. The Main Hall
Hondo
-Places:*Rio Hondo, the name of several locations*Hondo, Texas, a city in the United States*Hondo, New Mexico*Hondo, Kumamoto, a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan: old name for the main Japanese island of Honshū-Fiction:...
was reconstructed in the Tempo period
Tenpo
was a , also known as Tempō, after Bunsei and before Kōka. The period spanned the years from December 1830 through December 1844...
(1830-1843), and several other buildings also date from the Edo period. In terms of registered cultural properties, the temple has a wooden 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....
statue of Jizo Bosatsu
Ksitigarbha
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb"...
which is a National Important Cultural Property
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....
.
Tōkai Hundred Kannon
The Toyokawa Inari combines with the Mino Thirty-three KannonMino Thirty-three Kannon
The are a collection of Buddhist temples in southern Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The name is derived from Mino Province, the former name for the area...
in Gifu Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
, the Owari Thirty-three Kannon
Owari Thirty-three Kannon
The are a collection of Buddhist temples in western Aichi Prefecture, Japan, all dedicated to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. The name is derived from Owari Province, the former name for the area...
in western Aichi Prefecture, and the Mikawa Thirty-three Kannon
Mikawa Thirty-three Kannon
The are a collection of Buddhist temples in eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan, most of which are near Mikawa Bay. The name is derived from Mikawa Province, the former name for the area.-Thirty-three Kannon:-Tōkai Hundred Kannon:...
(三河三十三観音) in eastern Aichi Prefecture to form a pilgrimage route known as the Tōkai Hundred Kannon
Tōkai Hundred Kannon
The are a collection of one-hundred Buddhist temples in the Tōkai region of central Honshū, Japan.The Tōkai Hundred Kannon is made of up of the Mino Thirty-three Kannon in Gifu Prefecture, the Owari Thirty-three Kannon in western Aichi Prefecture, the Mikawa Thirty-three Kannon in eastern Aichi...
.
See also
- Inari ShrineInari Shrineis a shinto shrine to worship the god Inari. There are many Inari shrines in Japan. The deity is worshiped also in some Buddhist temples.-Shrines and offerings:Inari is a popular deity with shrines and Buddhist temples located throughout most of Japan...
- Tōkai Hundred KannonTōkai Hundred KannonThe are a collection of one-hundred Buddhist temples in the Tōkai region of central Honshū, Japan.The Tōkai Hundred Kannon is made of up of the Mino Thirty-three Kannon in Gifu Prefecture, the Owari Thirty-three Kannon in western Aichi Prefecture, the Mikawa Thirty-three Kannon in eastern Aichi...
- Mino Thirty-three KannonMino Thirty-three KannonThe are a collection of Buddhist temples in southern Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The name is derived from Mino Province, the former name for the area...
- Owari Thirty-three KannonOwari Thirty-three KannonThe are a collection of Buddhist temples in western Aichi Prefecture, Japan, all dedicated to the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. The name is derived from Owari Province, the former name for the area...
- Mino Thirty-three Kannon
- 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...
- Glossary of ShintoGlossary of ShintoThis is the glossary of Shinto, 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...