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23-523: According to temple tradition, it was founded in 860 AD by the priest Ennin , who is better known by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi ( 慈覺大師 ) . In 847 AD Ennin returned to Japan from studies in Tang dynasty China and in 854 AD he became the chief priest of the Tendai sect at Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei near Kyoto. Risshaku-ji was founded as a branch temple of Enryaku-ji by the order of Emperor Seiwa , and to this day

46-452: Is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu , overlooking Kyoto . It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism to Japan from China . The temple complex has undergone several reconstruction efforts since then, with the most significant (that of

69-504: Is a short walk up the hill on the opposite side of the steep valley. In 1996, the Ministry of the Environment selected the cicadas of Yama-dera as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan . These historical assets can be seen along the main trail that leads up the mountain along its stone steps. You can also see the remains of the original temple of Yamadera in a course located to the right of

92-459: Is more isolated and less visited, about a 1:30 walk, and is most easily reached by bus, which connects the three complexes and other locations on the mountain. On April 4, 2006, Enryaku-ji performed a ceremony for former leaders of Yamaguchi-gumi , by far the largest yakuza organization in Japan. Because such temple ceremonies have been used for Yamaguchi-gumi fund-raising and demonstrations of power,

115-553: Is no record that his remains were transferred here, Ann archaeological investigation in 1948 found a gold-leaf encrusted casket containing five sets of human remains and fragments of a Heian period wooden statue of Ennin within the cave. The temple developed into the major Heian period center for Buddhism in Dewa Province (now Yamagata and Akita prefectures). The temple was patronized by the Kamakura shogunate and grew in territory. It

138-457: The Buddhist priesthood at Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei (Hieizan) near Kyoto at the age of 14. In 838, Ennin was in the party which accompanied Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu 's diplomatic mission to the Tang dynasty Imperial court. The trip to China marked the beginning of a set of tribulations and adventures which he documented in his journal . The journal describes an account of the workings of

161-495: The Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution of 842–846. As a result of the persecution, he was deported from China, returning to Japan in 847. In 847 he returned to Japan and in 854, he became the third abbot of the Tendai sect at Enryakuji, where he built buildings to store the sutras and religious instruments he brought back from China. His dedication to expanding the monastic complex and its courses of study assured

184-672: The Shiga Prefectural Police requested that Enryaku-ji cease performance of the ceremony. Rejecting the request, Enryaku-ji received crime-related money for the ceremony and allowed nearly 100 upper-level Yamaguchi-gumi leaders to attend. After reports in the Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun newspapers, Enryaku-ji faced a nationwide scandal. The temple was also criticized by the Japan Buddhist Temple Association (representing 75,000 Buddhist temples), which led

207-530: The Temple Order ( 寺門 , jimon ) . Warrior monks were used to settle the disputes, and Tendai leaders began to hire mercenary armies who threatened rivals and even marched on the capital to enforce monastic demands. As part of a program to remove all potential rivals and unite the country, warlord Oda Nobunaga ended this Buddhist militancy in 1571 by attacking Enryaku-ji , leveling the buildings and slaughtering monks. Enryaku-ji's current structures date from

230-593: The Tendai school a unique prominence in Japan. While his chief contribution was to strengthen the Tendai tantric Buddhist tradition, the Pure Land recitation practices ( nenbutsu ) that he introduced also helped to lay a foundation for the independent Pure Land movements of the subsequent Kamakura period (1185–1333). Ennin also founded the temple of Ryushakuji at Yamadera . He wrote more than one hundred books. His diary of travels in China, Nittō Guhō Junrei Kōki ( 入唐求法巡礼行記 ) ,

253-475: The buildings themselves are old, though they have not always been at this location. Today, most of Enryaku-ji's buildings are clustered in three areas: Tō-dō (東塔, "East Pagoda"), Sai-tō (西塔, "West Pagoda"), and Yokokawa (横川). The monastery's most important buildings are concentrated in Tō-dō . Sai-tō is a 20-minute walk away, primarily downhill from Tō-dō , and also features several important buildings. Yokokawa

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276-635: The capital of China, where he was ordained into both mandala rituals: the Mahāvairocana-sūtra and the Vajraśekhara-sūtra , along with initiation and training in the Susiddhikara Sūtra tantra. He also wrote of his travels by ship while sailing along the Grand Canal of China . Ennin was in China when the anti-Buddhist Emperor Wuzong of Tang took the throne in 840, and he lived through

299-757: The government of China, which saw strong and able administrative control of the state and its provinces, even at a time of a supposed decline of the Tang dynasty. His writings also expanded on religious matters and commerce. He stayed in Xi'an for five years. Initially, he studied under two masters and then spent some time at Wutaishan ( 五臺山 ; Japanese: Godaisan ), a mountain range famous for its numerous Buddhist temples in Shanxi Province in China. Here, he learned go-e nembutsu ( 五会念仏 , "Five tone nembutsu ") among other practices. Later he went to Chang'an (Japanese: Chōan), then

322-485: The government. At the peak of its power, Enryaku-ji was a huge complex of as many as 3,000 sub-temples and a powerful army of warrior monks ( 僧兵 , sōhei ) . In the tenth century, succession disputes broke out between Tendai monks of the line of Ennin and Enchin . These disputes resulted in opposing Tendai centers at Enryaku-ji and at Mii-dera , known respectively as the Mountain Order ( 山門 , sanmon ) and

345-592: The late 16th century through the first half of the 17th century, when the temple was reconstructed following a change of government. Only one minor building survived, the Ruri-dō (るり堂, " Lapis Lazuli Hall"), which is located down a long, unmarked path from the Sai-tō complex. The structure dates to the 13th century and was repaired twice during the 20th century following harsh weather. During reconstruction, some buildings were transferred from other temples, notably Mii-dera, and thus

368-629: The main entrance. Yamadera holds many other important cultural assets in its treasure house, the Hihokan , including standing wooden images of Shaka Nyorai, Yakushi Nyorai and Amida Nyorai, a seated wooden image of Dengyo Daishi, a hanging wooden mandala of Buddha. [REDACTED] Media related to Risshaku-ji at Wikimedia Commons Ennin Ennin ( 圓仁 or 円仁 , 793 CE or 794 CE – 864 CE) , better known in Japan by his posthumous name , Jikaku Daishi ( 慈覺大師 ),

391-524: The main hall) taking place in 1642 under Tokugawa Iemitsu . Enryaku-ji is the headquarters of the Tendai sect and one of the most significant monasteries in Japanese history. As such, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site " Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) ". The founders of Jōdo-shū , Jōdo Shinshū , Sōtō Zen , and Nichiren Buddhism all spent time at

414-493: The monastery. Enryaku-ji is also the center for the practice of kaihōgyō (aka the "marathon monks"). With the support of Emperor Kanmu , the Buddhist monk Saichō ordained a hundred disciples in 807. Maintaining a strict discipline on Mt. Hiei, his monks lived in seclusion for twelve years of study and meditation . After this period, the best students were retained in positions in the monastery and others graduated into positions in

437-438: The ritual fire brought from Enryaku-ji is still burning in the main temple. The exact date and circumstances of the foundation of the temple are uncertain, but it dates to at least the early Heian period based on dating of the oldest of its surviving wooden statuary. The temple has a long-standing tradition that it houses the grave of Ennin in a cave within the temple grounds. Although Enning died on Mount Hiei in 864 AD, and there

460-512: Was a priest of the Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan, and its third Zasu ( 座主 , "Head of the Tendai Order") . Ennin was instrumental in expanding the Tendai Order's influence, and bringing back crucial training and resources from China, particularly esoteric Buddhist training and Pure Land teachings. He was born into the Mibu ( 壬生 ) family in present-day Tochigi Prefecture , Japan and entered

483-573: Was rebuilt after a fire in the mid-13th century and was converted to Zen Buddhism . The current Main Hall , known here as the Konpon-chūdō was rebuilt in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori , lord of Yamagata Castle , who also returned it to the Tendai sect. It was visited by the artist Sesshū Tōyō in 1482, who made many sketches of its precincts. The temple was burned down again during the wars of the Sengoku period , but

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506-663: Was restored by the Date clan and the Mogami clan . Under the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate , it was awarded estates with a kokudaka of 1420 koku for its upkeep. Yama-dera is where the well-known haiku poet Matsuo Bashō wrote his famous haiku "ah this silence / sinking into the rocks / voice of cicada" in 1689. A museum of Basho's writings and paintings and other related art, the Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum ,

529-619: Was translated into English by Professor Edwin O. Reischauer under the title Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law . Sometimes ranked among the best travelogues in world literature, it is a key source of information on life in Tang China and Silla Korea and offers a rare glimpse of the Silla personality Jang Bogo . Enryaku-ji Enryaku-ji ( 延暦寺 , Enryaku-ji )

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