Enryaku-ji Temple in Hiei-zan Mountain


It is said that Enryaku-ji Temple is a heartfelt hometown for Japanese people. In contrast, it has a long history that has shaken the Japanese society regarding the positive and negative aspects.


Enryaku-ji Temple, which is the name of a temple group in Hiei-zan Mountain, on the north-east side of Kyoto. On looking at Hiei-zan Mountain from a spot around Ginkaku-ji Temple in Sakyo Ward, you will feel it’s like a sullen object. Actually, since the foundation of this temple by Saicyo, 788, this temple has been sullen among respectful, critical and devastating opinion. This temple is one of the representative temples before the Heian period(794―1192). Besides this temple there are two renowned representative temple groups, one is Koya-san temple group of the same age which was founded by Kukai and the other is Nara Temples in the Heijo period before the Heian Period. All those are world heritage sites, but the atmosphere of Enryaku-ji Temple is different from the other two temple groups.

If you are a lover of Japanese Buddhism like Zen or a lover of Japanese heritage sites, you should visit it, because Enryaku-ji Temple is an important center-point of Japanese Buddhism in both positive and negative ways and you can experience the core of the diverse Japanese Buddhism.

The current atmosphere


Enryaku-ji Temple in the current time is quiet, and as the temples are scattered in deep forests in the mountain, it is very difficult to grasp the whole. The buildings of Enryaku-ji Temple are old but we can’t understand the inside contents of the buildings. Simply Speaking, it is like a university which has a lot of facilities in the large area. So then, please read my explanation about the history of Enryaku-ji Temple to grasp the whole while sipping a cup of coffee.


The history of Enryaku-ji Temple

In the Heian period



Saicyo, who was the founder of Enryaku-ji Temple, was so wise, pure and innovative that he criticized that the old and narrow Buddhism thoughts of the Nara temples couldn’t save people. After getting the qualification of a formal Buddhist at a Nara temple he left Nara and entered into the deep forest of Hiei-zan Mountain which had no temple. And he found out new thoughts of Buddhism, Tendai thoughts, among the sutras which were brought to Japan, and he went to China triumphantly in order to grasp their deep thoughts as the representative ambassador of Buddhist by the national plan. He returned to Japan after a one year trip and he opened Enryaku-ji Temple with the permission of the then Emperor Kanmu.

However, a twist of fate lay in this dispatching ship group, the other giant of Buddhist, Kukai, was aiming at China to grasp almost different Buddhism thoughts, Mikkyo called the secret Buddhism, as a personal dispatcher of Buddhist. He returned to Japan one year after the come-back of Saicyo, but for his fast return rather than the dispatching term of 20 years was disregarded by the Court of the then Emperor Heizei. However, Saicho accepted the result in China of Kukai and helped him with his suffering. In addition the time favored Kukai. Mikkyo won the popularity of the next Emperor Saga and the Court members wanted the affection of the secret technique of Mikkyo, as a result, the level of Kukai raised. Moreover, Kukai had a political characteristic and he aided Nara temples to add a new light on their old thoughts. After all he made good connections with the Nara Temples.

On the other hand, Saicyo who was pure and a learning person asked Kukai to teach Mikkyo, but finally, Saicyo and Kukai were in discord. On the contrary, his idea of Tendai thoughts struggled with the Nara thoughts. Priests of the Nara temples criticized Tendai thoughts repeatedly and Saicyo spent a lot of time to rebut their arguments. Finally, he couldn’t complete his largest goal that he had to build a national Mahayana Buddhism (Daijo-bukkyo) Center at Enryaku-ji Temple during his life and he embossed his hope on his disciples’ minds and entrusted his disciples to complete it.


His disciples got the Emperor’s permission of founding the national Mahayana Buddhism Center and completed Tendai Thoughts, finally they lifted the authority and the power of Eihei-ji Temple. However the fact that it strengthened the connections with the Emperor’s Court mismatched the next period when the samurai had power.


In the Kamakura period
The samurai demanded new Buddhist thoughts. On the other hand the thoughts in Enryaku-ji Temple stagnated and some young and energetic Buddhists had concerns for the situation. They left Enryaku-ji Temple and opened their own Buddhist sects in order to teach new thoughts to meet new demands from the 12th century to the 13th century. Those are Rinzai Zen Sect by Eisai, Sodo Zen Sect by Dogen, Jodo Sect (Pure Land Sect) by Honen, Jodo-shin Sect by Shinran, Jisyu Sect by Ippen and Nichiren Sect by Nichiren. The Kamakura period when the samurai opened his own government was the time of the Japanese regional evolution. Actually they left Enryaku-ji Temple but they had strong missions. There was something to awaken them in Enryaku-ji Temple. At least the place where they were born as pioneers of Buddhism isn’t the Nara temples nor Koya-san.

In the Muromachi period and the civil war period


Since the Muromachi period (1338-1467) to the civil war period (1467-1590) Enryaku-ji Temple which joined the vested forces deteriorated inappropriately as the center of Buddhism. At such a time a strong rational samurai lord, Nobunaga Oda, stood on the civil war fields. He devastated vested economic forces, warring states samurai lords and regional groups which had governed by themselves one after another. He encountered strong oppositions from many vested groups and he was isolated amidst them, and finally, he confirmed Enryaku-ji Temple as the first devastating target for the sake of the tactics for breaking the deadlock. He negotiated with a representative of Enryaku-ji Temple whether it would join the Oda army or keep neutrality or have all the people of Enryaku-ji Temple killed completely. Enryaku-ji Temple didn’t send an answer and took no action against this ultimatum. Enryaku-ji Temple had deteriorated along with the then society but it didn’t know the severity in the then society. Nobunaga reasonably commanded the devastation, so then Enryaku-ji Temple was burned and almost all of the priests were killed. It was the largest regional suffering in Japan.

In the Tokugawa period
Enryaku-ji Temple was rebuilt by the Tokugawa Bakufu. It was for the learning place without any power. The present silence of Enryaku-ji has been in succession since the Edo period.

Finally

The real identity of the sullen aspects is the insensitivity for changing times. On the other hand, the true identity of the succession for more than 12 centuries is the purity of Buddhism.


Japanese Mahayana Buddhism called “Daijou-Bukkyo” started by Saicyo who bloomed a cosmos-sized equality thoughts “San-zen-so-moku-shikkai-jobutu”, which means that not only humanity and living things but also mountains, rivers, greenery and trees can become Buddha. It built the basic social thoughts which grew the Japanese delicate sensibility.

In addition, another big message “ illuminate a corner by your own self” created by Saicyo has been influencing Japanese people. “Illuminate a corner by your own self” is “ichigu-wo-terasu” in the Japanese language strongly connects with “michi”, the way of your own work. There were strong equality thoughts and the bright message of the life beneath the sullen face of Saicyo.
Yes, Enryaku-ji Temple is the heartfelt hometown for Japanese people.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Karuta competitions by the 100 Poems

Image
I saw on TV news that many young foreigners competed karuta competitions by the 100 Poems. I was surprised at that, as well as I was interested why they played karuta competitions and why they knew how to play. Because karuta competitions are so difficult that the number of those who play the game isn’t large even in Japan. Eventually, I never have played karuta competitions. Incidentally, the 100 Poems, “hyakunin-issyu” in Japanese, are familiar with Japanese People. Japanese people in most cases learn the 100 Poems in their junior high-schools or high-schools, and they sometimes play a game of competing accuracy and quickness with several people that players grab a card written with the only second phrases of a poem from cards on tatami listening to full phrases of a poem. Of course I learned the 100 Poems in my junior high school and sometimes played the game, but I was a weak player of karuta games. Karuta competitions are a severer sport than the game above, so the sport dema
Read more

Warikan Custom In Japan

Image
Culture in a country is the result made by the specific customs based on the thoughts of the people, if it is true, to try to look out for the specific custom of a country where you visit is a joyful challenge during your traveling time. When I visited foreign countries I experienced the different customs from Japan and I was happy to know it. Many anthropologists say that Japanese culture is especially different from cultures of other countries. Then foreigners visiting Japan will feel pleasure by finding out the different customs from their countries. Warikan is the one specific Japanese custom. Warikan is to split the bill among members who ate dishes and drank in restaurants and it is generally a popular custom in Japan. I have a foreign friend who has been in Japan from Australia and I sometimes have drinking parties with him. He knows Japanese customs but perhaps his true sense depends on western customs. At paying the bill when I suggested “sloping warikan” to him as a mat
Read more

Satsuma-biwa music

Image
Hiromi Hakozaki, who is a Satsuma-biwa player, played biwa music at the machiya of Onishi-tune-shoten and explained how biwa instruments became its present form. I want to write about one of Japan’s specific sound instruments according to her explanation. Before my explanation I want to mention my impression after listening to her play, I said to her in this way. “The sounds of Satsuma-biwa is calm in terms that it allows a human physiological phenomenon like that blood pressure will be peaceful, but is very deep in terms that it lets the human spirit vibrate strongly.” Biwa v.s. Lute Biwa(Japanese lute) came far from Persia in the 8th century via The Silk Road. The picture above is an ancient Persian lute instrument(front and back) which is stored as a national treasure in Syosoin next to Todaiji or Kasuga Shrine in Nara City from the 8th century. There is an opinion that the lute in Syosoin is the original biwa(lute). And the long history for thirteen centuries in Japan tra
Read more