An'yō-in
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gionzan An’yō-in Chōraku-ji | |
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 An'yō-in, Kamakura. The Main Hall
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| Information | |
| Denomination: | Jōdōshū |
| Founded: | 1225 |
| Closed: | Hōjō Masako |
| Address: | Ōmachi 3-1-22, 248-0007 Kamakura |
| Country: |  Japan |
| Phone: | 0467-22-0806 |
| Website | |
| Website: | None |
Gionzan An’yō-in Chōrakuji (祇園山安養院長楽寺?) is a Jōdō Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan[1]. Famous for its azaleas, it was named after its founder's (great historical figure Hōjō Masako) posthumous name[1]. The main object of worship is Amida Nyōrai[2], but it also enshrines Senju Kannon, Goddess of Mercy. An’yō-in is Number three of the 33 temples of the Bandō Sanjūsankasho pilgrimage circuit[2].
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[edit] History
This temple has a complex history and is the result of the fusion of three separate temples called Chōraku-ji, Zendō-ji and Tashiro-ji[2]. It was first opened in 1225 as Chōraku-ji in Hase Sasamegayatsu by Hōjō Masako for her defunct husband Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura shogunate[1][2]. At the time it was a Ritsu sect temple. After being burned to the ground by Nitta Yoshisada's soldiery in 1333 at the fall of the Kamakura shogunate[2], it was fused with Zendō-ji, moved to this spot and renamed, but it burned again in 1680[1][2]. It was then once more rebuilt and a Senju Kannon (Thousand-armed Goddess of Mercy) was transferred to it from Tashiro-ji in Hikigayatsu[1].
[edit] Points of interest
The great Chinese black pine in the garden is over 700 years old[1]. Behind the temple there are a hōkyō-intō which is one of Masako's possible graves, and another hōkyō-intō, the oldest in Kamakura, which is an Important Cultural Property[1]. In its small cemetery (closed to the public) rests famous film director Akira Kurosawa[3].
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Anyoin (Japanese)
- Article "An'yō-in", Japanese Wikipedia, accessed on April 2008 (Japanese)
- Ozu Yasujiro (Japanese)
