Taisekiji temple

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Taisekiji (大石寺; full name: 多宝富士大日蓮華山大石寺 Tahō Fuji Dainichirenge-zan Taisekiji) is the head temple of the Nichiren Shoshu school of Nichiren Buddhism, a Japanese branch. It is located on the lower slopes of Mt. Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Taisekiji was founded in 1290 ce by Nikkō, one of Nichiren's immediate disciples. It started with one small temple building but grew gradually as Nikkō's disciples built sub-temples. It went through further growth phases during the mid-Edo period and in the post-World War II period.

In addition to being Nichiren Shoshu's head temple, Taisekiji is also its administrative center, and the High Priest (法主: Hossu) of Nichiren Shoshu doubles as the temple's chief abbot (管長: kanchō). The temple's and school's current head is High Priest Nikken Abe (1922–), called Nikken Shōnin, Nikken Shōnin Geika, or Geika-sama by believers. High Priest Nikken has held this position since 1979 and is the 67th in a lineage that Nichiren Shoshu traces back to Nichiren (1222–1282). He is styled 67th High Priest Nikken Shōnin.

Taisekiji is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world who come to worship the Dai-Gohonzon, the ultimate object of veneration in Nichiren Shoshu. The temple compound is also known for its historically significant buildings, some of which have been designated cultural assets or treasures by local or national authorities, its gardens, and the old weeping cherry trees of its tatchū (main path lined with lodging temples).

Contents

1 Buildings 1.1 Sanmon Gate 1.2 Mutsubo 1.3 Reception Hall 1.4 Mieido 1.5 Hōandō 1.6 Treasure House 1.7 Pagoda 2 External links

Buildings

Sanmon Gate

The Sanmon (三門, sometimes 山門) gate is Taisekiji's "front door" and has been designated as a prefectural cultural asset. It was built in 1717 with donations from Tenneiin, the wife of sixth Shogun Tokugawa Ienobu.

Mutsubo

The first Mutusho (六壷) was erected in 1290, making this historically Taisekiji's first building. Has has been rebuilt many times since. The current structure, which uses much keyaki hartwood, was completed in 1988.

Reception Hall

The Daikyakuden (大客殿: "Grand Reception Hall") was first built in 1465. The current structure, a wood-clad steel-framed structure, was completed in 1998 and replaced previous steel reinforced concrete buildingTemplate:Ref. A pre-war building, which had been requisitioned by the military, burnt down in a June 1945 fire that claimed the life of 62nd High Priest Nikkyō.

The Grand Reception Hall is the site of ushitora Gongyo, a prayer service performed daily at the transition from the "hour of the ox (ushi)" to the "hour of the tiger (tora)". The service begins at about 2:30am and ends about an hour later. This is believed to mark the transition from "darkness" to "light" as well as the hour at which all Buddhas attain enlightenment. The service is customarily officiated by the High Priest or his proxy. During the service, the officiating priest sits at the front of the room, to the left of and facing the congregation of priests and laity gathered in front of the alter. This signifies that he is "leading" the congregation to the Gohonzon so they can achieve enlightenment. The purpose of the service is, among other things, to pray for the spread of Nichiren Shoshu throughout the world and thereby bring about peace and prosperity for all humankind.

Mieido

The original Mieidō (御影堂: "image hall") was built in 1522. The Mieido houses an image of Nichiren (hence its name) dating from 1388. The current, classical structure was built in 1632 and has had several subsequent renovations, the most recent major one in 1971. It was designated a cultural asset by Shizuoka Prefecture in 1971.

Hōandō

The Hōandō (奉安殿: hōan is an honorific form of a verb meaning to enshrine or place in an alter; dō is a large building or hall) houses the Dai-Gohonzon, the supreme object of veneration in Nichiren Shoshu.

The Hōandō is built in the style of a traditional Japanese storehouse to signify that kōsen rufu (広宣流布) has yet to be achieved. Loosely defined, kōsen rufu means that the Nichiren Shoshu faith has taken hold as the primary religion of the world's people, a situation believed to have be achieved when one-third of a population believes in Nichiren Shoshu, another third knows of it but is not hostile, and the remaining third is ignorant of it to one degree or another. This is significant to the Nichiren Shoshu faithful because they believe that, according to Nichiren's will, the Dai-Gohonzon is not to be made publicly accessible, but rather "stored away" and only viewed by those who have asked for and been granted an audience by the high priest, until kōsen rufu has been achieved. A further symbol of this is that, different from all other Nichiren Shoshu alters, the one in the Hōandō is not decorated with an offering of evergreens, and non-believers are permitted in the building only on special occasions.

The Hōandō replaced the Shōhondō (正本堂: "the true main hall"), the Dai-Gohonzon's previous home. Before the Shōhondō was completed in 1972, the Dai-Gohonzon had been kept locked away in a storehouse called the Treasure House (御宝蔵: Gohōzō) or enshrined in the Hōanden (奉安殿), another storehouse-like structure built behind the Treasure House.Template:Ref

Treasure House

Pagoda

Completed in 1749, Taisekiji's pagoda faces west rather than the usual south to signify that Nichiren Buddhism would spread from the east (Japan) to the west (back to the land of Sakyamuni Buddha and beyond). It is the largest five-storied pagoda along the Tōkaidō Highway. The structure was designated a national cultural treasure in 1966. It is opened every February 16 for ceremonies to celebrate Nichiren's birthday.

External links

• Some of the scenery and a short history of Taisekiji on Nichiren Shoshu's English website (http://www.nsglobalnet.jp/page/taisekiji_infomation/taisekiji_infomation.htm)

1. Template:NoteThe previous structure was built and donated by Soka Gakkai in 1964. It was ostensibly replaced because of worries about structural integrity in a major earthquake. Its imposing ferroconcrete mass was also cited as incongruent with the with the architectural tone appropriate for a temple compound.
2. Template:NoteShohondo was largely built at the behest of Soka Gakkai, but the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood stripped Soka Gakkai of its status as a lay organization in 1991 and later determined that a structure built by an organization that had turned heretical when the priesthood would not bend to its leadership's will, was no longer suited to house the Dai-Gohonzon: In their eyes, Soka Gakkai had proven through its actions that its motivation for building the Shōhondō was impure, so Nichiren Shoshu had the Shōhondō torn down. It should be noted that there had been friction over the naming of the building from around the time construction began because many Nichiren Shoshu priests felt that, because kōsen rufu had not yet been achieved, it was too early to erect Taisekiji's "True Main Hall."ja:大石寺