Kōdai-ji

Temple in Kyoto, Japan

35°00′03″N 135°46′52″E / 35.000761°N 135.781114°E / 35.000761; 135.781114ArchitectureFounderKōdai-inFunded byTokugawa IeyasuDate established1606Completed1606

Kōdai-ji (高台寺, Kōdai-ji), formally identified as Jubuzan Kōdai-ji (鷲峰山高台寺, Jubuzan Kōdai-ji), is a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan—the largest subtemple of the Kennin-ji branch.

History

It was established in 1606 by the nun Kōdai-in (often known by the title Kita no Mandokoro), who was the widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to pray for her late husband. The principal image is a statue of Shaka.

The gardens of Kōdai-ji are a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty.^[1]

The temple possesses a number of objects designated as Important Cultural Assets. Among these are the Main Gate and the Spirit Hall, noted for its use of maki-e. The temple is nicknamed the maki-e temple." It also holds paintings, including one of Hideyoshi, as well as textiles, and a bronze bell with an inscription dating it to 1606.

The android preacher Mindar has given sermons on the Heart Sutra at Kōdai-ji since 2019.^[2]

Ihō-an, a teahouse in the temple's grounds

Japanese gravel garden at Kōdai-ji

References

^ "高台寺庭園". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
^ Tominaga, Suzuka (8 April 2023). "Robot helps spread Buddhist teachings at a Kyoto temple". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.

External links

Media related to Kōdai-ji at Wikimedia Commons

Official English site
高台寺, official site (in Japanese and Chinese)

Buddhist temples in Japan

Japanese Buddhist architecture

Architectonic elements	hidden roof hisashi irimoya kaerumata: see nakazonae kairō karahafu karesansui kentozuka: see nakazonae komainu katōmado mokoshi moya nakazonae Niō or Kongōrikishi sandō shichidō garan shōrō sōrin tokyō tōrō onigawara
Mon (gates)	karamon nijūmon niōmon rōmon sanmon sōmon torii
Buildings	Chinjusha chōzuya/temizuya -dō main hall (kon-dō, hon-dō, butsuden) kuri kyōzō or kyō-dō shoin
Japanese pagodas	gorintō hōkyōintō hōtō kasatōba sotōba muhōtō tahōtō
Styles	Daibutsuyō Wayō Setchūyō Shoin-zukuri Shin-Wayō Zenshūyō Ōbaku Zen architecture
Others	A-un ken

Schools and objects of worship

Major schools	Jōdo Nichiren Shingon Tendai
Zen schools	Sōtō Ōbaku Rinzai
Nanto rokushū	Jōjitsu Hossō Kusha Kegon Ritsu Sanron
Objects of worship	Amida Nyōrai Benzaiten Dainichi Nyorai Jizō Kannon Marishi-ten Shaka Nyorai Shitennō (Four Kings) Twelve Heavenly Generals (Jūni Shinshō) Yakushi Nyorai

Other elements

Implements	kei (ritual gong) mokugyō
Others	bussokuseki butsudan Glossary of Japanese Buddhism Japanese Buddhist pantheon jingū-ji miyadera saisenbako