Enryaku-ji

Enryaku-ji
延暦寺
Konpon-chūdō (根本中堂), Enryaku-ji's main hall)
Religion
AffiliationTendai
DeityBhaisajyaguru (Yakushi Nyorai)
Location
Location4220 Sakamoto Honchō, Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture
CountryJapan
Architecture
FounderSaichō
Date established788
Completed1642 (reconstruction)
Website
www.hieizan.or.jp

Enryaku-ji (延暦寺, Enryaku-ji) is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185)[1] by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism to Japan from China. The temple complex has undergone several reconstruction efforts since then, with the most significant (that of the main hall) taking place in 1642 under Tokugawa Iemitsu. Enryaku-ji is the headquarters of the Tendai sect and one of the most significant monasteries in Japanese history. As such, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)". The founders of Jōdo-shū, Jōdo Shinshū, Sōtō Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism all spent time at the monastery. Enryaku-ji is also the center for the practice of kaihōgyō (aka the "marathon monks").

  1. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956). Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869, p. 111.

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