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The temple of Shôkoku-ji, officially Mannenzan Shôkoku Joten Zenji, is the second of the Kyoto Gozan, the five leading Rinzai Zen temples in Kyoto during the medieval period. Shôkoku-ji was built under the auspices of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408), with the Buddha Hall (Butsuden) completed in 1394 (Shitoku).
Thereafter, the complex was ravaged by fire and rebuilt numerous times. The final great fire, in 1788, burned down almost all the main temple buildings, leaving only the Dharma Hall (Hattô) and the Imperial Gate (Chokushimon) intact. A painting entitled Famous Places in the Capital (J., Miyako meisho zu-e), dating to 1780, depicts quite accurately the appearance of the temple precincts before the Tenmei-erafire. The Chinese characters used in the temple's name are often mistakenly read "Shôkoku-ji". but the proper pronunciation is "Shôkoku-ji". This reading is confirmed by a notation on the aforementioned Famous Places in the Capital painting, which names the temple "Shôkoku-ji". The characters for "shôkoku" mean "a person who helps the country", deriving from a Chinese word meaning "prime minister", while "ji" means "temple". This name is thought to reflect the fact that the temple was built by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. |
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This area was previously the site of the temples of Izumo-ji, founded by Dengyô Daishi (also known as Saichô, 767-822); Jingû-ji (later known as Hyakumanben Chionji), founded by Genkû (1133-1212); and Anshô-ji. At the time of Shôkoku-ji's establishment, its main gate was situated in the vicinity of Muromachi Ichijô, and the grounds encompassed some 14.4 million tsubo (approximately 4,760 hectares), ranging from the forest of Kamigoryô Shrine in the north to Teramachi in the east and Ômiya Dôri in the west.
The area of Kyoto in front of the temple's present east gate is still known as Tônodan, or "Pagoda Hill," and is believed to have been the site of a seven-story pagoda once on the temple grounds. The area of Kyoto called Bishamon-chô is the site of a former Bishamon Hall on the temple grounds, while the area of Furonozushi-chô ("Bath Shrine district") in front of the west gate is believed to have been the site of the temple's baths.
Today, Dôshisha University is located to the south of Shôkoku-ji, while Seian Junior and Senior High Schools and Karasuma Junior High School are located to the north. The major portion of the campuses of these schools were formerly the sites of Shôkoku-ji structures that could not be rebuilt after the great Temmei Fire of 1788 or temples that were abolished or amalgamated following the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Toward the end of the Edo period (1615-1868) most of the buildings lost to fire had been rebuilt and the temple restored to its original scale, but today the temple grounds encompass only 40,000 tsubo (about 13 hectares).
There are thirteen temple buildings, halls, and other structures, including the main temple of Shôkoku-ji, on the temple precincts, as well as such off-precinct temples as Rokuon-ji (more commonly known as Kinkaku-ji, or the Temple of the Golden Pavilion), Jishô-ji (better known as Ginkaku-ji, or the Temple of the Silver Pavilion), and Shinnyo-ji. Some 130 temples around Japan are official subtemples of Shôkoku-ji. |
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