Daitoku-ji

Daitoku-ji
Butsuden (Hondo)
Information
Denomination	Rinzai
Founded	1315 or 1319
Founder(s)	Shuho Myocho
Address	53 Murasakino Daitokuji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto-shi, 603-8231
Country	Kyoto, Japan
Portal:Buddhism

Daitoku-ji (大徳寺^?) is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. It is located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan, and originated as a small monastery founded in 1315 or 1319 by the monk Shūhō Myōcho (1282-1337; alternate pronunciation, Sōhō Myōchō), who is better known by the title Daitō Kokushi ("National Teacher of the Great Lamp") bestowed on him by the retired Emperor Hanazono (r 1306-18),^[1] by whose request the monastery in 1325 was converted into a supplication hall for the imperial court. The dedication ceremony for the imperial supplication hall, with its newly added dharma hall and abbot's living quarters, was held in 1326, and this is generally recognized as the true founding of the temple.^[2]

Like many other temples in Kyoto during that time, many of the temple's buildings were destroyed by fire. In 1474, which was when Kyoto was the scene of the Onin War (1467-77), Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado (r 1464-1500) designated Ikkyū Sōjun as the head priest. With the help of merchants of the city of Sakai, Ikkyū contributed significantly to the temple's rehabilitation.^[2]

In 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi buried his predecessor, Oda Nobunaga, at Daitoku-ji. He also contributed land and built the Sōken-in Hall.

The temple later became closely linked to masters of the Japanese tea ceremony—Sen no Rikyū and Kobori Enshū. The Daitoku-ji temple complex today covers more than 23 hectares (56 acres).^[2] There are several buildings in the complex, such as:

• Sanmon (Mountain Gate)
• Butsuden (Buddha Hall)
• Hattō (Dharma Hall)
• Hōjō (Abbot's Quarters)
• Yokushitsu (Bath House)
• Kyōzō (Sutra Library).

Daitoku-ji operates some twenty-two tatchū (sub-temples), the most significant being Daisen-in (大仙院), Shinjū-an (眞珠庵) and Jukō-in (聚光院).^[3][4] Daitoku-ji is currently the home of the famous 13th century Buddhist painting Six Persimmons by Mu Qi.

Shichidō garan

Hattō

Sanmon

Imperial emissary gate (Chokushi-mon)

Honbo

Tatchū

Garden of the Cross at Zuihō-in	Zuiho-tei, a garden at Zuiho-in, |Daisen-in	Go board used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu at Ryogen-in, Daitoku-ji	Daisen-in
		Kotō-in

See also

• Goto Zuigan
• Kobori Nanrei Sohaku
• Ryogen-in
• For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.
• List of National Treasures of Japan (residences)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (temples)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)

Notes

References

• Dumoulin, Heinrich (2005). Zen Buddhism: A History. World Wisdom, Inc.. ISBN 0941532909. 
• "Head Temples - Daitoku-ji". Official Site of the Joint Council for Japanese Rinzai and Obaku Zen. http://zen.rinnou.net/head_temples/07daitoku.html. Retrieved 2008-01-20. 

Coordinates: 35°2′38.57″N 135°44′47.46″E / 35.0440472°N 135.7465167°E / 35.0440472; 135.7465167

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