KOZANJI TEMPLE
Kozanji Temple Kyoto - a World Heritage Site
featuring Japan's oldest tea garden and many National Treasures
including pictures.
Kozanji Temple(高山寺, Kōzan-ji), or Toganoo-san Kōzan-ji
(栂尾山高山寺, Toganoo-san Kōzan-ji), is an Omuro Buddhist temple located in Ume-ga-hata
Toganoo-chō, Ukyō Ward,
Kyoto, Japan. The
temple was founded by famous monk Myōe and is renowned for its numerous
national treasures and important cultural properties, in particular the
famous picture scroll called Chōjū-giga. The temple celebrates Biyakkōshin,
Zenmyōshin and Kasuga Myōjin, as well as the temple's tutelary Shintō deity.
In 1994, it was registered as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site
"Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".
Kozanji Temple Layout
Jingo-ji houses a diagram of Kōzan-ji that was drawn in
1230, some 20 years after it was constructed. The diagram is registered as
an important cultural property, because it shows the original layout of the
temple. From the diagram, we know that Kōzan-ji originally consisted of a
large gate, a main hall, a three-storied pagoda, a hall dedicated to
Amitabha, a hall dedicated to Lohan, a bell tower, a scripture hall, and a
Shinto shrine dedicated to the tutelary deity of the area. However, all of
these buildings have since been destroyed, save for the scripture hall,
which is now known as Sekisui-in.
In addition to Sekisui-in, today's Kōzan-ji also contains a main hall
(originally part of Ninna-ji, relocated to Kōzan-ji) and a hall dedicated to
the founding of the temple, which houses an important carved wooden bust of
Myōe. Both of these buildings, however, are modern reconstructions.
Kozanji Temple History
Togano, located deep in the mountains behind Jingo-ji
temple, which are famous for their autumn foliage, is considered an ideal
location for mountain asceticism, and there have long been many small
temples in this location. In addition to Kozan-ji, there have been other
temples in the area, such as Toganoo-ji (度賀尾寺, Toganoo-ji) and Toganoo-bō
(都賀尾坊, Toganoo-bō). According to legend, these were said to have been
established by the imperial orders of Emperor Kōnin in 774, however, the
accuracy of these claims is not clear.
In 1206, Myōe, a Kegon Buddhist priest who had been serving at nearby Jingo-ji,
was granted the land to construct a temple by Emperor Go-Toba. He selected
the name Hiidetemazukouzanwoterasuyama-no-tera (日出先照高山之寺,
Hiidetemazukouzanwoterasuyama-no-tera). The temple's name was taken from a
line in the Avatamsaka sutra: "When the sun appears, it first casts its
light upon the highest mountain." (日、出でて、まず高き山を照らす, hi, idete, mazu
takakiyama wo terasu).
The temple was destroyed numerous times by fire and war. The oldest extant
building is Sekisui-in (石水院, Sekisui-in), which dates from the Kamakura
Period.
Kozanji Temple Cultural Properties
The temple possesses numerous national treasures and
important cultural properties, however, the majority of them are currently
on loan to national museums in Kyoto and Tokyo.
National Treasures
Sekisui-in - Built in the Kamakura Period. Irimoyazukuri style, having a
gabled, hipped, shingled roof.
Chōjū-giga
Kegon-shū Soshi Eden (華厳宗祖師絵伝, Kegon-shū Soshi Eden) - created in the
Kamakura period, this picture scroll portrays the lives of Korean Kegon
founders Uisang and Wonhyo.
Myōe Shōnin-zō (明恵上人像, Myōe Shōnin-zō) - A portrait of Myōe also known as
Jujō Zazen-zō (樹上座禅像, Jujō Zazen-zō) and created during the Kamakura period.
In contrast to the standard image of a Buddhist monk, this picture features
a tiny Myōe surrounded by mountains.
Butsugen Butsumo-zō (仏眼仏母像, Butsugen Butsumo-zō) - A portrait created in the
Kamakura Period at the end of the 12th century.
Yupian (玉篇, gyokuhen) - a Tang period copy of a Chinese dictionary created
during the Liang Dynasty. This is the oldest Chinese character dictionary in
Japan.
Tenrei Banshō Meigi (篆隷万象名義, Tenrei Banshō Meigi) - valued as the only
remaining copy of an old kanji dictionary compiled by Kūkai. It was copied
in 1114.
Myōhō-ki (冥報記, Myōhō-ki) - A Tang period collection of Buddhist tales. Now
disappeared from China, this is the only known copy in existence.
Important Cultural Properties
An incredible number of buildings, picture scrolls, carvings,
furnishings and old writings have been registered as important cultural
properties. The most significant among these include:
A lacquered wooden statue of Bhaisajyaguru in seated posture created towards
the end of the Nara period. Originally the center of a sanzonzō (a trio of
Buddhist statues with the primary image in the center and flanked by two
attendants), the attendant images were removed during the Meiji period. The
image of Suryaprabha now rests in the Tokyo National Museum, and the image
of the Chandraprabha in the university museum of the Tokyo National
University of Fine Arts and Music.
A wooden statue of Myoe in sitting posture created in the Kamakura Period
and located in the hall dedicated to the founding of the temple.
A pair of wooden deer statues created in the Kamakura period. These statues,
of a buck and a doe, were uniquely constructed to look like komainu, the
lion statues that guard the entrance to a Shinto shrine. Deer are messengers
of Kasuga Myōjin, the temple god, and as such, it is believed that these
statues were placed in front of Kasuga Myōjin's altar.
A statue of Biyakkoshin in standing posture, constructed in the early
Kamakura period. As the name indicates, the statue is painted white in its
entirety--from its clothes to the pedestal. This is said to represent the
snow of the Himalayas.
A wooden statue of Zenmyōshin constructed in the early Kamakura period. Much
of the vivid paint still remains, and this statue, along with Biyakkō-shin,
is said to be the work of famed Buddhist sculptor Tankei.
The Kōzan-ji document archive, which contains thousands of scriptures and
records, some of which date back to the Heian Period.
Kōben Yume-no-Ki (高弁夢記, Kōben Yume-no-Ki) - a record of Myōe's dreams from
1196 to 1223. His dreams are said to have exerted a great deal of influence
on his religious thinking.
Address : 8 Togano-o-cho, Umegahata, Ukyo-ku,
Kyoto
Transport : Take JR bus to Kajinoo, 5 minutes walk from Togano'o
Opening Hours : 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Cost : 600 yen
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(Article based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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