Renge-in Tanjō-ji
Renge-in Tanjō-ji 蓮華院誕生寺 | |
---|---|
Shingon Ritsu | |
Deity | Kōen Daibosatsu |
Status | Special head temple |
Location | |
Location | 2288 Tsuiji, Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture |
Country | Japan |
Geographic coordinates | 32°55′57.6″N 130°32′7.5″E / 32.932667°N 130.535417°E |
Architecture | |
Completed | Between the Heian and Kamakura periods |
Website | |
http://rengein.jp/ |
Renge-in Tanjō-ji (蓮華院誕生寺) is a Buddhist temple of the
Addresses
Main Temple: 2288 Tsuiji, Tamana, Kumamoto 865-0065
Oku-no-in: 1512-77 Tsuiji, Tamana, Kumamoto 865-0065
The temple consists of the Main Temple and the Oku-no-in, or the Inner Temple, which is located 2.5 miles north of the Main Temple on Mt. Shōdai.
Abbots
- Zeshin Kawahara (1930 - 1977): born in 1896
- Shin-nyo Kawahara (1977 - 1992): born in 1926, former abbot of Tōmyō-ji in Saga Prefecture
- Eishō Kawahara (1992 - ): born in 1952, also former abbot of Tōmyō-ji
Annual Events
At the temple, the 13th of each month is a festive day and the 3rd and the 23rd subsidiary festive days, and services are held on these days. A service comprises the reciting of Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (理趣経, Rishu-kyō) by the monks and various sutras designated for the lay devotees in Shingon Buddhism by the monks along with the devotees followed by a lecture by the abbot. The 13th of June is set apart as the day of the Great Festival to commemorate the death of Kōen. On the night of the 12th, the marching of the devotees from the Oku-no-in to the Main Temple with lanterns in hand, known as the Descent of the Dragon Fire (龍火下り, Ryūbi-kudari), takes place; a special service is held early next morning.
A Kudoku-gyō (功徳行, Merit-accumulating Practice) is provided once a month in the Five-story Pagoda at the Oku-no-in, where also is held the Great Autumn Festival on November 3 and the Joya-no-kane Service in which the Great Brahma Bell is rung repeatedly on December 31.
Patron Deity
Mahābodhisattva Kōen is venerated as the patron deity. Kōen (皇円) was a Tendai monk in the latter part of the Heian period. Since he was said to have died on June 13, 1169, it is assumed that he was born in 1074.
Kōen was born in Tsuji, Tamana-shō in
He was also a noted scholar known for his erudition. He wrote Fusō Ryakki (扶桑略記, A Concise History of Japan) which is considered Japan's first chronicle detailing the events (mainly related to Buddhism) from the reign of Emperor Jimmu to that of Emperor Horikawa in the chronological order.
The actual circumstances of his death are unknown. According to the biographies of
Timeline
- 1298 Jōkō-ji of Higo Province is mentioned in the Tōmyō-ji Document.
- 1581 Destroyed during a war
- 1929 In the early morning of December 10, Zeshin Kawahara receives a spiritual communication from Kōen ordering him to restore Renge-in.
- 1930 The Provisionary Main Hall completed on March 21.
- 1937 The Acharya Hall (阿闍梨堂, Ajari-dō) completed.
- 1940 The Circular Stone Gate completed.
- 1950 The World Peace Hall (世界平和祈念大願堂, Sekai-heiwa-kinen-daigan-dō) completed.
- 1966 The present Main Hall is completed.
- 1977 The Great Brahma Bell of Oku-no-in (大梵鐘, Daibonshō) is cast.
- 1978 Oku-no-in was founded on Mt. Shōdai on November 3. The Opening Ceremony performed.
- 1997 The Opening Ceremony for the Five-story Pagoda.
- 2005 From April 10 through 14th, the 14th Dalai Lama visits to perform the World Peace Homa Ceremony at the Main Temple and to lecture at the Oku-no-in.
- 2011 The Great South Gate is completed on May 23. The Opening Ceremony thereof as well as the Awakening Rite for the Four Heavenly Kings statues were performed.[2]
History
Foundation to Destruction
In the Middle Ages, a temple called Jōkō-ji stood on the site of the present Main Temple of Renge-in Tanjō-ji. The Higo Chronicle written in the
The oldest document which mentions Jōkō-ji is the Tōmyō-ji Document written in 1298 in the
An excavation in the 1960s at the site of the present Main Hall revealed several Buddhist instruments from the Kamakura period. Therefore, it is conjectured that the Main Hall of Jōkō-ji also once stood there or near the site. These objects, designated Municipal Cultural Properties of Tamana in 2008, are on exhibit at Renge-in Tanjō-ji.
According to the old documents of Saidai-ji from the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period, it is unquestionable that Jōkō-ji continued to exist from 1290 at least up to 1478. Since the temple no longer existed in the Edo period, it seems reasonable to suppose that it was destroyed during the wars of the Sengoku period. However, no document thus far has been discovered to corroborate this conjecture.
Restoration to Present
In the first years of the
In the early morning of December 10, while reciting
Upon Zeshin's passing in 1977, Shin-nyo Kawahara took over as abbot. November 3, 1978 saw the Opening Celebration of the Oku-no-in on Mt. Shōdai, which had been under construction at the wish of the former abbot, making Renge-in more accessible not only to the devotees but also to all visitors. As a practitioner of Fuse-gyō (布施行, Almsgiving Practice), he started to support Cambodian refugees. Based on this experience, he founded the nonprofit organization Association for Renge-in Tanjō-ji International Cooperation (ARTIC for short), devoted to providing the needy all around the globe with humanitarian aids. He also founded the Committee for Raising Parent-caring Children, and advocated and encouraged a closer relationship between the parent and the child by inviting elementary and middle school students all over Japan to submit poems on their mothers. The Naikan Institute, where domestic as well as international visitors can practice Naikan (guiding in English is available), was also established during his abbotship.[3]
Eishō Kawahara succeeded Shin-nyo in 1992 and became the abbot as the Third Restorer. Through the ARTIC, he has expanded the temple's humanitarian activities in more various countries such as Sri Lanka, Tibet, and Myanmar. Domestically, he sent teams of volunteers during the
References
- ISBN 0-691-05789-3.
- ISBN 4-904-21315-7(This is a collection of photographs detailing the whole process of the construction of the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. An English translation of the text is available.).
- ISBN 978-4-7631-3230-7(an English translation in progress)
External links
- Renge-in Tanjō-ji official website
- Oku-no-in homepage (in Japanese)
- ARTIC official website (in Japanese)
- Naikan Institute