| [Religious Sect] Jodoshin-shu sect [Location] Hanaya-cho-kudaru, Horikawa-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi [dedicated to] Amitabha Tathagata [Kaizan] Shinran Shonin |
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Nishi Hongan-ji temple
[Religious Sect] Jodoshin-shu sect
[Location] Hanaya-cho-kudaru, Horikawa-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi
[dedicated to] Amitabha Tathagata
[Kaizan] Shinran Shonin
Brief Explanation History Jodoshin-shu sect Shinran
Brief Explanation
This temple is a Jodoshin-shu sect temple, and was built in the 13th century by Shinran. The beginning of this temple was when Shinran's daughter enshrined his wooden image in Higashiyama and made it into a Mikage-do. However, when the Jyodoshin-shu sect became too powerful, the sect provoked antipathy from other sects, and was destroyed two times, making the temple unable to settle in one place. The temple moved to the place where it is today in 1591, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi offered a land for a temple. In those days, the people who were supporting the temple was not Shinran's own child, but his followers. Therefore, the followers had a stronger voice than Shinran's child, but after all, after some trouble, Shinran's child succeeded him. This Nishi Hongan-ji temple is like a palace, with the Hori-kawa river as the moats around palaces. The Mikage-do which enshrines Shinran's wooden image, and the main temple which enshrines the image of Amitabha Tathagata were both rebuilt in the Edo era. Also, there are many architecture of the Momoyama culture to see, such as the Shoin decorated with wall and fusuma paintings, the oldest noh stage of the existing, the Asuka-kaku which was moved from the Jurakudai, and the Kara-mon gate with its beautiful sculptures. In 1602, the Hongan-ji temple split into the east and west. There is a story that Tokugawa Ieyasu purposely made them split to soften the power of the temple, but still today, this temple is number one in its believers, the number of temples, and the size of the temples.
History
The late Heian era to the Kamakura era was a big turning point socially and politically, and many battles and disasters occurred. This kind of society made people aware of the new sect, Mappo, and also desire a new religion which will save them from their circumstances.
Mappo is one idea of Buddhism. People believed that two thousand years from the death of Sakyamuni, Buddhism will lose its power and the world would be in a struggle. Around the 11th and 12th century was that period. At this time, six religions arrived in Japan. Jodoshin-shu sect which Shinran made was one of them.
Jodoshin-shu sect
It is also called Ikko-shu, and is one kind of the Jodo-shu sect. The sacred books for the Jodoshin-shu sect are these three: Muryojju-kyo, Kanmuryoju-kyo, and Amida-kyo. The basic teaching is the Kyogyoshinsho. From the Muromachi era, this religion developed greatly and became the religion with the most number of believers. In the early Edo era in 1602, when there was a dispute within the sect, the temple was divided into the Nishi (west) Hongan-ji temple and Higashi (east) Hongan-ji temple by the Edo Shogunate. For both Nishi and Higashi Hongan-ji temples, Shinran's real child succeeded, but there are many temples which Shinran's follower Shinbutsu made.
Shinran
He became a priest at the age of nine, and trained himself in the Mt. Hiei for twenty years. In those days starvation continued, and the terrible situations were even written in books of that time. The society was in gloom, and the lives of the priests too, were in disorder.
Shinran, who thought that he would never be spiritually awakened in a society like this, started to doubt about Buddhism. Just then he met Honen, who made the Jodo-shu sect, and felt sympathy towards his teachings. Honen said that anybody can believe in Buddha, and can go to the Land of Happiness if they pray the "Namu-ami-dabutsu". This is called the Jodo-kyo sect, and spread through all classes of people because it was so easy to understand. Though, by the other sects who felt jealous, Honen and his followers were banished. However, after Honen's death, Shinran eagerly taught the words of Honen, and one by one, the number of believers increased.
Shinran surprised people for getting married or eating meat and fish, which were both forbidden in Buddhism. And though he was adored and respected from many believers, he didn't have a happy marriage. He had a terrible old age; he got divorced with his wife after getting old, and was also betrayed from his son.
