Jump to content

Kan'ei-ji: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 35°43′17″N 139°46′28″E / 35.721432°N 139.774306°E / 35.721432; 139.774306
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
No edit summary
 
(36 intermediate revisions by 25 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Buddhist temple in Toyoko, Japan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox religious building
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in
| name = Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in
| native_name =
| native_name =
| image = KaneijiPagoda1270.jpg
| image = Five-storied_Pagoda_-_Kan'ei-ji.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption = Kan'ei-ji's original five-storied [[tō|pagoda]] in Ueno
| caption = Kan'ei-ji's original five-storied [[tō|pagoda]] in Ueno
| map_type =
| map_type =
| map_size =
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| map_caption =
| location = Uenosakuragi 1-14-11, Taito-ku, Tokyo
| location = Uenosakuragi 1-14-11, Taito-ku, Tokyo
| latitude =
| coordinates =
| longitude =
| latd =
| latm =
| lats =
| latNS =
| longd =
| longm =
| longs =
| longEW =
| coordinates =
| coordinates_display =
| religious_affiliation = [[Tendai]]
| religious_affiliation = [[Tendai]]
| deity =
| deity =
| country = Japan
| country = Japan
| functional_status =
| functional_status =
| website = {{URL|http://www.kaneiji.jp }} {{ja icon}}
| website = {{URL|http://www.kaneiji.jp }} {{in lang|ja}}
| founded_by = [[Tenkai]], [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]
| founded_by = [[Tenkai]], [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]]
| year_completed = 1625
| year_completed = 1625
}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in'''|東叡山寛永寺円頓院}} (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a [[Tendai]] [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] temple in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], founded in 1625 during the [[Kan'ei]] era by [[Tenkai]], in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center [[Enryaku-ji]], in [[Kyoto]]. The main object of worship is {{nihongo|[[Yakushi Nyorai|''Yakushirurikō Nyorai'']]|薬師瑠璃光如来}}.<ref name="taikei">Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei</ref>
{{nihongo|'''Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in'''|東叡山寛永寺円頓院}} (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a [[Tendai]] [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] temple in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], founded in 1625 during the [[Kan'ei]] era by [[Tenkai]], in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center [[Enryaku-ji]], in [[Kyoto]]. The main object of worship is {{nihongo|[[Yakushi Nyorai|''Yakushirurikō Nyorai'']]|薬師瑠璃光如来}}.<ref name="taikei">Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei</ref>


It was named in a reference both to the Enryaku-ji's location atop [[Mount Hiei]] (''T&#333;eizan'' means "Mount Heiei of the East"), and also after the era during which it was erected, like Enryaku-ji (named after the Enryaku year period).<ref>Henry D. Smith, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo", Braziller, 1986; plate 11 commentary</ref> Because it was one of the two [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]] ''[[bodaiji]]'' (funeral temple; the other was [[Zōjō-ji]]) and because it was destroyed in the closing days of the war that put an end to the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], it is inextricably linked to the Tokugawa [[shogun]]s.
It was named in a reference both to the Enryaku-ji's location atop [[Mount Hiei]] (''Tōeizan'' means "Mount Hiei of the East"), and also after the era during which it was erected, like Enryaku-ji (named after the Enryaku year period).<ref>Henry D. Smith, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo", Braziller, 1986; plate 11 commentary</ref> Because it was one of the two [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]] ''[[bodaiji]]'' (funeral temple; the other was [[Zōjō-ji]]) and because it was destroyed in the closing days of the war that put an end to the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], it is inextricably linked to the Tokugawa ''[[shōgun]]s''.


Once a great complex, it used to occupy the entire heights north and east of [[Shinobazu Pond]] and the plains where [[Ueno Station]] now stands.<ref name="seiden117">Seidensticker (1991:117)</ref> It had immense wealth, power and prestige, and it once consisted of over 30 buildings. Of the 15 Tokugawa [[shōgun]]s, six are buried here.<ref name="seiden117"/>
Once a great complex, it used to occupy the entire heights north and east of [[Shinobazu Pond]] and the plains where [[Ueno Station]] now stands.<ref name="seiden117">Seidensticker (1991:117)</ref> It had immense wealth, power and prestige, and it once consisted of over 30 buildings. Of the 15 Tokugawa [[shōgun]]s, six are buried here.<ref name="seiden117"/>


Many temple structures were destroyed in the [[Great Fire of Meireki|great Meireki fire]] of 1657.<ref name="col">[http://www.columbia.edu/itc/ealac/V3613/edo/html/kaneiji.html Kaneiji]. Columbia University. Accessed June 13, 2008.</ref> A new hall was constructed inside the enclosure of Kan'ei-ji in 1698.<ref>Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Cg8oAAAAMAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=editions:OCLC63259938#PRA1-PA415,M1 ''Annales des empereurs du Japon,'' p. 415.]</ref> The temple and its numerous annexes were almost completely destroyed during the [[Boshin War]]'s [[Battle of Ueno]] and never restored.<ref name="seiden"/> Much of the site where it once stood was confiscated and is now occupied by [[Ueno Park]].<ref name="seiden117"/>
Many temple structures were destroyed in the [[Great Fire of Meireki|great Meireki fire]] of 1657.<ref name="col">[http://www.columbia.edu/itc/ealac/V3613/edo/html/kaneiji.html Kaneiji]. Columbia University. Accessed June 13, 2008.</ref> A new hall was constructed inside the enclosure of Kan'ei-ji in 1698.<ref>Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [https://archive.org/details/niponodaitsiran01ringoog <!-- quote=editions:OCLC63259938. --> ''Annales des empereurs du Japon,'' p. 415.]</ref> The temple and its numerous annexes were almost completely destroyed during the [[Boshin War]]'s [[Battle of Ueno]] and never restored.<ref name="seiden"/> Much of the site where it once stood was confiscated and is now occupied by [[Ueno Park]].<ref name="seiden117"/>


What is today the temple's main hall was taken from [[Kita-in]] in [[Kawagoe, Saitama|Kawagoe]] ([[Saitama Prefecture]]) and transferred to the site of a former Kan'ei-ji subtemple. Kan'ei-ji's five-story pagoda (photo above) and the [[Ueno Tōshō-gū]] shrine were amongst the gems of the old temple enclosure. Both stand undisturbed by the passage of years since the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
What is today the temple's main hall was taken from [[Kita-in]] in [[Kawagoe, Saitama|Kawagoe]] ([[Saitama Prefecture]]) and transferred to the site of a former Kan'ei-ji subtemple. Kan'ei-ji's five-story pagoda (photo above) and the [[Ueno Tōshō-gū]] shrine were amongst the gems of the old temple enclosure. Both stand undisturbed by the passage of years since the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Line 47: Line 37:
Tenkai wanted to create a powerful religious center and, to achieve that, he built Kan'ei-ji imitating [[Enryaku-ji]].<ref name="Watanabe"/> The temple was therefore erected north-east of [[Edo Castle]] to ward off evil spirits that were believed to come from that unlucky direction.<ref name="Watanabe"/>
Tenkai wanted to create a powerful religious center and, to achieve that, he built Kan'ei-ji imitating [[Enryaku-ji]].<ref name="Watanabe"/> The temple was therefore erected north-east of [[Edo Castle]] to ward off evil spirits that were believed to come from that unlucky direction.<ref name="Watanabe"/>


Tenkai's project enjoyed from the beginning the shogunate support, so much so that [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] in 1622 donated the land on which it was built.<ref name="taikei"/> At the time, on that land there were the suburban residences of three ''[[daimyo]]s'', ([[Tōdō Takatora]] of the [[Tsu Domain|Tsu domain]], [[Tsugaru Nobuhira]] of the [[Hirosaki Domain|Hirosaki domain]] and [[Hori Naoyori]] of the [[Murakami Domain|Murakami domain]]), but the land was expropriated and donated to Tenkai for the temple.<ref name="taikei"/> He was also given 50 thousand silver [[Ryō]] and a building as a contribution.<ref name="taikei"/>
Tenkai's project enjoyed from the beginning the shogunate support, so much so that [[Tokugawa Hidetada]] in 1622 donated the land on which it was built.<ref name="taikei"/> At the time, on that land there were the suburban residences of three ''[[daimyō]]s'', ([[Tōdō Takatora]] of the [[Tsu Domain|Tsu domain]], [[Tsugaru Nobuhira]] of the [[Hirosaki Domain|Hirosaki domain]] and [[Hori Naoyori]] of the [[Murakami Domain|Murakami domain]]), but the land was expropriated and donated to Tenkai for the temple.<ref name="taikei"/> He was also given 50 thousand silver [[Ryō]] and a building as a contribution.<ref name="taikei"/>


The chief abbot's residence, the ''Honbō'', was built in 1625, which is considered the year of foundation of the temple. After that, several [[daimyos]] contributed with the construction of other buildings.<ref name="Watanabe"/> The main hall, called as in Enryaku-ji's case ''Konponchūdō'', was finished only in 1697.<ref name="Watanabe"/>
The chief abbot's residence, the ''Honbō'', was built in 1625, which is considered the year of foundation of the temple. After that, several ''daimyōs'' contributed with the construction of other buildings.<ref name="Watanabe"/> The main hall, called as in Enryaku-ji's case ''Konponchūdō'', was finished only in 1697.<ref name="Watanabe"/>


In 1643, after Tenkai's death, disciple Kōkai took his place. His successor was [[Emperor Go-Mizunoo]]'s third son Shuchōho Shinnō.<ref name="taikei"/> From then on until the end of the shogunate, Kan'ei-ji's chief abbots were chosen among the Emperor's children or favorite nephews and called with the honorific {{nihongo|''Rinnōjinomiya''|輪王寺宮}}.<ref name="taikei"/>
In 1643, after Tenkai's death, disciple Kōkai took his place. His successor was [[Emperor Go-Mizunoo]]'s third son Shuchōho Shinnō.<ref name="taikei"/> From then on until the end of the shogunate, Kan'ei-ji's chief abbots were chosen among the Emperor's children or favorite nephews and called with the honorific {{nihongo|''Rinnōjinomiya''|輪王寺宮}}.<ref name="taikei"/>


===Tokugawa and Kan'ei-ji ===
===Tokugawa and Kan'ei-ji===
With the favor of the Tokugawa the temple prospered but, at least in the first years since foundation, it was just the Tokugawa family temple, while the sole funeral temple of the Tokugawa was still Zōjō-ji, where the second shogun [[Tokugawa Hidetada|Hidetada]] rests. His successor [[Tokugawa Iemitsu|Iemitsu]] sent his remains to Nikko because the [[Nikkō Tōshō-gū]], mausoleum of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], founder of the dynasty, was there; he however also built a mausoleum at Kan'ei'ji.<ref name="taikei"/> After that, the fourth shogun [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]] and the fifth Tokugawa Tsunayoshi were put to rest in Ueno, and Kan'ei-ji became a Tokugawa funeral temple like Zōjō-ji.<ref name="taikei"/> Zōjō-ji didn't like the change but, after the next shogun Tokugawa Ienobu's mausoleum was built on its land, the custom became to alternate the temples at each generation, and that lasted until the closing of the shogunate era. Excepted Ieyasu and Iemitsu (buried in [[Nikkō, Tochigi|Nikko]]) and last shogun [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu|Yoshinobu]] (also known as Keiki, buried in nearby [[Yanaka Cemetery]]), all of the Tokugawa shoguns are buried either at Zōjō-ji or Kan'ei-ji, six at one and six at the other. In what used to be the Kan'ei-ji cemetery near the [[Tokyo National Museum]] are interred [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]], [[Tokugawa Tsunayoshi]], [[Tokugawa Yoshimune]], [[Tokugawa Ieharu]], [[Tokugawa Ienari]], [[Tokugawa Iesada]] and Iesada's wife [[Tenshoin]].<ref name="Watanabe">Watanabe (2005:30)</ref> Ietsuna's and Tsunayoshi's mausoleums were destroyed in 1945. The cemetery is closed to the public, but can be seen from the street.
With the favor of the Tokugawa the temple prospered but, at least in the first years since foundation, it was just the Tokugawa family temple, while the sole funeral temple of the Tokugawa was still Zōjō-ji, where the second shogun [[Tokugawa Hidetada|Hidetada]] rests. His successor [[Tokugawa Iemitsu|Iemitsu]] sent his remains to Nikkō because the [[Nikkō Tōshō-gū]], mausoleum of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], founder of the dynasty, was there; he however also built a mausoleum at Kan'ei'ji.<ref name="taikei"/> After that, the fourth ''shōgun'' [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]] and the fifth Tokugawa Tsunayoshi were put to rest in Ueno, and Kan'ei-ji became a Tokugawa funeral temple like Zōjō-ji.<ref name="taikei"/> Zōjō-ji didn't like the change, but after the next shogun Tokugawa Ienobu's mausoleum was built on its land, the custom became to alternate the temples at each generation, and that lasted until the closing of the shogunate era. Excepted Ieyasu and Iemitsu (buried in [[Nikkō, Tochigi|Nikkō]]) and last shogun [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu|Yoshinobu]] (also known as Keiki, buried in nearby [[Yanaka Cemetery]]), all of the Tokugawa ''shōguns'' are buried either at Zōjō-ji or Kan'ei-ji, six at one and six at the other. In what used to be the Kan'ei-ji cemetery near the [[Tokyo National Museum]] are interred [[Tokugawa Ietsuna]], [[Tokugawa Tsunayoshi]], [[Tokugawa Yoshimune]], [[Tokugawa Ieharu]], [[Tokugawa Ienari]], [[Tokugawa Iesada]] and Iesada's wife [[Tenshō-in]].<ref name="Watanabe">Watanabe (2005:30)</ref> Ietsuna's and Tsunayoshi's mausoleums were destroyed in 1945. The cemetery is closed to the public, but can be seen from the street.


The last visit from Tokugawa Shogunate member at 8th August 1863 by [[Tenshoin]], due to memorial service of his husband [[Tokugawa Iesada]].
The last visit of a Tokugawa shogunate member was on the 8 August 1863 by Tenshō-in, for the memorial service of her husband [[Tokugawa Iesada]].


===Battle of Ueno and the destruction of Kan'ei-ji===
===Battle of Ueno and the destruction of Kan'ei-ji===
{{main|Battle of Ueno}}
{{Main|Battle of Ueno}}
[[File:Ueno Battlefield.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Devastation of Ueno after the battle. 1868 photograph.]]In his book ''High City, Low City'' Japanologist [[Edward Seidensticker]] describes the last days and the destruction of Kan'ei-ji.
[[File:Ueno Battlefield.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Devastation of Ueno after the battle. 1868 photograph.]]In his book ''High City, Low City'' Japanologist [[Edward Seidensticker]] describes the last days and the destruction of Kan'ei-ji.


The revolutionary forces had occupied most of Tokyo, and Edo Castle and the majority of the Tokugawa troops had already surrendered, however one band of shogunate soldiers barricaded itself in Ueno with the intention to resist.<ref name="seiden">Seidensticker (1991:27)</ref> About 2000 men strong, it was composed of members of the Shōgitai, a military unit of former Tokugawa retainers.<ref name="Watanabe"/> They held the Kan'ei-ji's abbot in hostage, and maybe for this reason the [[Satsuma Domain|Satsuma]] and [[Chōshū Domain|Chōshū]] revolutionaries didn't attack immediately.<ref name="seiden"/>
The revolutionary forces had occupied most of Tokyo, and Edo Castle and the majority of the Tokugawa troops had already surrendered, however one band of shogunate soldiers barricaded itself in Ueno with the intention to resist.<ref name="seiden">Seidensticker (1991:27)</ref> About 2000 men strong, it was composed of members of the [[Shōgitai]], a military unit of former Tokugawa retainers.<ref name="Watanabe"/> They held the Kan'ei-ji's abbot in hostage, and maybe for this reason the [[Satsuma Domain|Satsuma]] and [[Chōshū Domain|Chōshū]] revolutionaries didn't attack immediately.<ref name="seiden"/>


On July 4, 1868 (''Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month'')<ref>[http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/geschichte-japans/nengo_calc.htm NengoCalc]: 明治一年五月十五日; n.b., the old lunar calendar date, used for example by Watanabe, was misidentified as May 15.</ref> the final attack came and from early morning artillery rounds fell from Hongo's heights on Ueno.<ref name="seiden"/> After a fierce battle, in the late afternoon the revolutionary forces broke through the defenses in the south at the Black Gate (the ''Kuromon''), near what is today Ueno Park's entrance.<ref name="seiden"/> There were altogether about 300 dead, mostly defenders.<ref name="seiden"/> Most of the artillery rounds had gone astray, causing fires in which the whole Kan'ei-ji and up to a thousand houses were destroyed.<ref name="seiden"/> The temple's abbot fled in disguise and left the city by boat.<ref name="seiden"/>
On July 4, 1868 (''Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month''),<ref>[https://uni-tuebingen.de/geschichte-japans/nengo_calc.htm NengoCalc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014735/http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/geschichte-japans/nengo_calc.htm |date=September 30, 2007 }}: 明治一年五月十五日; n.b., the old lunar calendar date, used for example by Watanabe, was misidentified as May 15.</ref> the final attack came and from early morning artillery rounds fell from Hongo's heights on Ueno.<ref name="seiden"/> After a fierce battle, in the late afternoon the revolutionary forces broke through the defenses in the south at the Black Gate (the ''Kuromon''), near what is today Ueno Park's entrance.<ref name="seiden"/> There were altogether about 300 dead, mostly defenders.<ref name="seiden"/> Most of the artillery rounds had gone astray, causing fires in which the whole Kan'ei-ji and up to a thousand houses were destroyed.<ref name="seiden"/> The temple's abbot fled in disguise and left the city by boat.<ref name="seiden"/>


== See also ==
== See also ==
*[[Ueno Tōshō-gū]]
* [[Ueno Tōshō-gū]]
* For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the [[Glossary of Japanese Buddhism]].


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 80: Line 69:
|publisher=Heibonsha
|publisher=Heibonsha
|language=Japanese
|language=Japanese
|accessdate=November 17, 2008
|access-date=November 17, 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081107073644/http://www.japanknowledge.com/
⚫
}}
|archive-date=November 7, 2008
⚫
*{{cite book
|url-status=dead
⚫
}}
⚫
* {{cite book
|last=Seidensticker
|last=Seidensticker
|first=Edward
|first=Edward
|title=Low City, High City: Tokyo from Edo to the Earthquake: how the shogun's ancient capital became a great modern city, 1867–1923
|title=Low City, High City: Tokyo from Edo to the Earthquake: how the shogun's ancient capital became a great modern city, 1867–1923
|year=1991
|publisher=Harvard University Press
|publisher=Harvard University Press
|isbn=978-0-674-53939-6
|isbn=978-0-674-53939-6
}}
}}
* [[Isaac Titsingh|Titsingh]], Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/[[Hayashi Gahō]], 1652], ''[[Nipon o daï itsi ran]]; ou, [https://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran Annales des empereurs du Japon.''] Paris: [[Royal Asiatic Society|Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland]].
* [[Isaac Titsingh|Titsingh]], Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/[[Hayashi Gahō]], 1652], ''[[Nipon o daï itsi ran]]; ou, [https://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran Annales des empereurs du Japon.]'' Paris: [[Royal Asiatic Society|Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland]].
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|last=Watanabe
|last=Watanabe
|first=Hiroshi
|first=Hiroshi
|title=The architecture of Tokyo
|title=The architecture of Tokyo
Line 100: Line 93:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://kaneiji.jp/ Kaneiji official website](Japanese)
⚫
*[http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/facilities/shrines_temples/83dn3a000000eh6v.html Link to Japanese National Tourist Organization web page]
* [http://kaneiji.jp/about4 Kaneiji official website](English)
⚫
* [http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/4131.php Link to contemporary snapshot images of Kan'ei-ji five-story pagoda]
* [https://archive.org/details/TokyoFieldRecordings/22_KaneijiTempleBell.mp3] 1959 recording of the Temple's bell at 6 AM from [[The Internet Archive]].
⚫
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100124024254/http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/facilities/shrines_temples/83dn3a000000eh6v.html Link to Japanese National Tourist Organization web page]
⚫
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061016125929/http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/4131.php Link to contemporary snapshot images of Kan'ei-ji five-story pagoda]}}
* National Diet Library: [http://www.ndl.go.jp/scenery/e/data/307/index.html photograph of Kan'ei-ji pagoda (1896)]; [http://www.ndl.go.jp/scenery/e/data/306/index.html?type=category&p=temples_shrines photograph of Toshogu Shrine at Ueno (1911)]
* National Diet Library: [http://www.ndl.go.jp/scenery/e/data/307/index.html photograph of Kan'ei-ji pagoda (1896)]; [http://www.ndl.go.jp/scenery/e/data/306/index.html?type=category&p=temples_shrines photograph of Toshogu Shrine at Ueno (1911)]
* [http://www.nga.gov.au/MonetJapan/Detail.cfm?WorkID=J86 Link to "The battle of Toeizan Temple on Mount Sanno at Ueno," Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (1874)]
* [http://www.nga.gov.au/MonetJapan/Detail.cfm?WorkID=J86 Link to "The battle of Toeizan Temple on Mount Sanno at Ueno," Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (1874)]


{{coord|35.721432|139.774306|format=dms|display=title|type:landmark_region:JP_scale:10000}}
{{Coord|35.721432|139.774306|format=dms|display=title|type:landmark_region:JP_scale:10000}}
{{Buddhist temples in Japan}}
{{Buddhist temples in Japan}}
{{Taitō, Tokyo}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Commons category|Kan'eiji}}
{{Commons category|Kan'ei-ji}}


[[Category:Buddhist temples in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Buddhist temples in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Meiji Restoration]]
[[Category:Meiji Restoration]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Taitō]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Taitō]]
[[Category:Tendai temples]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1625]]
[[Category:1625 establishments in Japan]]

Latest revision as of 10:40, 26 November 2024

Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in
Kan'ei-ji's original five-storied pagoda in Ueno
Religion
AffiliationTendai
Location
LocationUenosakuragi 1-14-11, Taito-ku, Tokyo
CountryJapan
Architecture
FounderTenkai, Tokugawa Iemitsu
Completed1625
Website
www.kaneiji.jp (in Japanese)

Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon-in (東叡山寛永寺円頓院) (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1625 during the Kan'ei era by Tenkai, in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center Enryaku-ji, in Kyoto. The main object of worship is Yakushirurikō Nyorai (薬師瑠璃光如来).[1]

It was named in a reference both to the Enryaku-ji's location atop Mount Hiei (Tōeizan means "Mount Hiei of the East"), and also after the era during which it was erected, like Enryaku-ji (named after the Enryaku year period).[2] Because it was one of the two Tokugawa bodaiji (funeral temple; the other was Zōjō-ji) and because it was destroyed in the closing days of the war that put an end to the Tokugawa shogunate, it is inextricably linked to the Tokugawa shōguns.

Once a great complex, it used to occupy the entire heights north and east of Shinobazu Pond and the plains where Ueno Station now stands.[3] It had immense wealth, power and prestige, and it once consisted of over 30 buildings. Of the 15 Tokugawa shōguns, six are buried here.[3]

Many temple structures were destroyed in the great Meireki fire of 1657.[4] A new hall was constructed inside the enclosure of Kan'ei-ji in 1698.[5] The temple and its numerous annexes were almost completely destroyed during the Boshin War's Battle of Ueno and never restored.[6] Much of the site where it once stood was confiscated and is now occupied by Ueno Park.[3]

What is today the temple's main hall was taken from Kita-in in Kawagoe (Saitama Prefecture) and transferred to the site of a former Kan'ei-ji subtemple. Kan'ei-ji's five-story pagoda (photo above) and the Ueno Tōshō-gū shrine were amongst the gems of the old temple enclosure. Both stand undisturbed by the passage of years since the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.

The Shinobazu Pond itself and the Bentendō Temple which stands on its island used to be an integral part of Kan'ei-ji. Tenkai, liking Lake Biwa, had Benten Island built in imitation of Chikubushima, and then the Bentendō on it.[7] At the time the island was accessible only by boat, but later a stone bridge was added on the east, making it possible to walk to it.[7] The Bentendō Temple was destroyed during World War II, and the present one is a reconstruction.[8]

History

[edit]

Tenkai wanted to create a powerful religious center and, to achieve that, he built Kan'ei-ji imitating Enryaku-ji.[8] The temple was therefore erected north-east of Edo Castle to ward off evil spirits that were believed to come from that unlucky direction.[8]

Tenkai's project enjoyed from the beginning the shogunate support, so much so that Tokugawa Hidetada in 1622 donated the land on which it was built.[1] At the time, on that land there were the suburban residences of three daimyōs, (Tōdō Takatora of the Tsu domain, Tsugaru Nobuhira of the Hirosaki domain and Hori Naoyori of the Murakami domain), but the land was expropriated and donated to Tenkai for the temple.[1] He was also given 50 thousand silver Ryō and a building as a contribution.[1]

The chief abbot's residence, the Honbō, was built in 1625, which is considered the year of foundation of the temple. After that, several daimyōs contributed with the construction of other buildings.[8] The main hall, called as in Enryaku-ji's case Konponchūdō, was finished only in 1697.[8]

In 1643, after Tenkai's death, disciple Kōkai took his place. His successor was Emperor Go-Mizunoo's third son Shuchōho Shinnō.[1] From then on until the end of the shogunate, Kan'ei-ji's chief abbots were chosen among the Emperor's children or favorite nephews and called with the honorific Rinnōjinomiya (輪王寺宮).[1]

Tokugawa and Kan'ei-ji

[edit]

With the favor of the Tokugawa the temple prospered but, at least in the first years since foundation, it was just the Tokugawa family temple, while the sole funeral temple of the Tokugawa was still Zōjō-ji, where the second shogun Hidetada rests. His successor Iemitsu sent his remains to Nikkō because the Nikkō Tōshō-gū, mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the dynasty, was there; he however also built a mausoleum at Kan'ei'ji.[1] After that, the fourth shōgun Tokugawa Ietsuna and the fifth Tokugawa Tsunayoshi were put to rest in Ueno, and Kan'ei-ji became a Tokugawa funeral temple like Zōjō-ji.[1] Zōjō-ji didn't like the change, but after the next shogun Tokugawa Ienobu's mausoleum was built on its land, the custom became to alternate the temples at each generation, and that lasted until the closing of the shogunate era. Excepted Ieyasu and Iemitsu (buried in Nikkō) and last shogun Yoshinobu (also known as Keiki, buried in nearby Yanaka Cemetery), all of the Tokugawa shōguns are buried either at Zōjō-ji or Kan'ei-ji, six at one and six at the other. In what used to be the Kan'ei-ji cemetery near the Tokyo National Museum are interred Tokugawa Ietsuna, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Tokugawa Yoshimune, Tokugawa Ieharu, Tokugawa Ienari, Tokugawa Iesada and Iesada's wife Tenshō-in.[8] Ietsuna's and Tsunayoshi's mausoleums were destroyed in 1945. The cemetery is closed to the public, but can be seen from the street.

The last visit of a Tokugawa shogunate member was on the 8 August 1863 by Tenshō-in, for the memorial service of her husband Tokugawa Iesada.

Battle of Ueno and the destruction of Kan'ei-ji

[edit]
Main article: Battle of Ueno
Devastation of Ueno after the battle. 1868 photograph.

In his book High City, Low City Japanologist Edward Seidensticker describes the last days and the destruction of Kan'ei-ji.

The revolutionary forces had occupied most of Tokyo, and Edo Castle and the majority of the Tokugawa troops had already surrendered, however one band of shogunate soldiers barricaded itself in Ueno with the intention to resist.[6] About 2000 men strong, it was composed of members of the Shōgitai, a military unit of former Tokugawa retainers.[8] They held the Kan'ei-ji's abbot in hostage, and maybe for this reason the Satsuma and Chōshū revolutionaries didn't attack immediately.[6]

On July 4, 1868 (Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month),[9] the final attack came and from early morning artillery rounds fell from Hongo's heights on Ueno.[6] After a fierce battle, in the late afternoon the revolutionary forces broke through the defenses in the south at the Black Gate (the Kuromon), near what is today Ueno Park's entrance.[6] There were altogether about 300 dead, mostly defenders.[6] Most of the artillery rounds had gone astray, causing fires in which the whole Kan'ei-ji and up to a thousand houses were destroyed.[6] The temple's abbot fled in disguise and left the city by boat.[6]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei
  2. ^ Henry D. Smith, "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo", Braziller, 1986; plate 11 commentary
  3. ^ a b c Seidensticker (1991:117)
  4. ^ Kaneiji. Columbia University. Accessed June 13, 2008.
  5. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, p. 415.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Seidensticker (1991:27)
  7. ^ a b Japanese Old Photographs in Bakumatsu/Meiji Period, Shinobazu Pond, accessed on November 16, 2008
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Watanabe (2005:30)
  9. ^ NengoCalc Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine: 明治一年五月十五日; n.b., the old lunar calendar date, used for example by Watanabe, was misidentified as May 15.

References

[edit]
  • Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (日本歴史地名大係), online version. "Kan'ei-ji" (in Japanese). Heibonsha. Archived from the original on November 7, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  • Seidensticker, Edward (1991). Low City, High City: Tokyo from Edo to the Earthquake: how the shogun's ancient capital became a great modern city, 1867–1923. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-53939-6.
  • Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • Watanabe, Hiroshi (April 25, 2001). The architecture of Tokyo. Edition Axel Menges. ISBN 978-3-930698-93-6.
[edit]

35°43′17″N 139°46′28″E / 35.721432°N 139.774306°E / 35.721432; 139.774306

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kan'ei-ji.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kan%27ei-ji&oldid=1259658644"