The Buddhist priest Nichiren was once educated at the temple, and was chosen at one time to be a successor to its priesthood before he began his own ministry which later became Nichiren Buddhism. At the time, the temple was dedicated to the Pure Land sect, prior to being a Tendai temple, then later changed into Shingon, and now designated a Nichiren Shu temple.
Seichō-ji is located on Chiba Prefecture's second highest mountain, the 310-meter high Myōken-san. The temple grounds are within the borders of the Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park. Myōken-san is the source of two of the Bōsō Peninsula's important rivers, the Yōrō River and the Obitsu River. The translation of the temple's name, meaning "clear, serene" probably originated in these natural features—Water running under the numerous daimyō oaks in the area.
The temple grounds contain the Great Kiyosumi Cypress, a protected natural National Treasure, known as a "thousand year cypress." Additionally, due to its altitude and scenic location, it is known as a prime tourist destination to watch the rising of the sun.
The priest Fushigi visited the location in 771 AD to worship the Kokūzō Bosatsu, and the mountain became a spot for sangaku shinkō, a form of ancient mountain worship. Priest Ennin visited in 836 and Seichō-ji became a temple of the Tendai sect. The main hall was destroyed by fire caused by lightning in 1096, and was rebuilt by the Provincial Governor Minamoto Chikamoto. During the Kamakura period, Hōjō Masako established a two-story pagoda and a library containing over 4,000 sūtras in 1219.
Association with Nichirenedit
Shortly after, under the priest Dōzen, Nichiren entered the temple as a student in 1233 at the age of 11. He was formally ordained at 16 and took the Buddhist name Zeshō-bō Renchō, then left in 1253 to study in Kamakura and elsewhere. Because of its history, the temple is a daihonzan, or important religious center, of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism.
Later historyedit
In 1618 Tokugawa Hidetada ordered that the temple convert to the Shingon sect to implement a government-sponsored Buddhist liturgy. In 1949 Seichō-ji was converted to a Nichiren temple.
seichō, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, april, 2018, learn,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Seichō ji news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Seichō ji Japanese 清澄寺 also known as Kiyozumi dera 清水寺 is a Nichiren Buddhist 2 temple located in the city of Kamogawa in Chiba Prefecture Japan Along with Kuon ji in Yamanashi Prefecture Ikegami Honmon ji in the south of Tokyo and Tanjō ji also in Kamogawa City Seichō ji is one of the Four Sacred Places of Nichiren Shu Seichō ji清澄寺Great Hall 大堂 of Seichō jiReligionAffiliationBuddhismDeityGreat Mandala of the Ten Spiritual RealmsRiteNichiren Shu 1 LocationLocationKamogawa Chiba PrefectureCountryJapanShown within Chiba PrefectureShow map of Chiba PrefectureSeichō ji Japan Show map of JapanGeographic coordinates35 9 39 5 N 140 9 4 8 E 35 160972 N 140 151333 E 35 160972 140 151333ArchitectureCompleted771The Buddhist priest Nichiren was once educated at the temple and was chosen at one time to be a successor to its priesthood before he began his own ministry which later became Nichiren Buddhism At the time the temple was dedicated to the Pure Land sect prior to being a Tendai temple then later changed into Shingon and now designated a Nichiren Shu temple Contents 1 Location 2 History 2 1 Early history 2 2 Association with Nichiren 2 3 Later history 3 Important structures and cultural treasures 4 External links 5 ReferencesLocation editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Seichō ji is located on Chiba Prefecture s second highest mountain the 310 meter high Myōken san The temple grounds are within the borders of the Minami Bōsō Quasi National Park Myōken san is the source of two of the Bōsō Peninsula s important rivers the Yōrō River and the Obitsu River The translation of the temple s name meaning clear serene probably originated in these natural features Water running under the numerous daimyō oaks in the area The temple grounds contain the Great Kiyosumi Cypress a protected natural National Treasure known as a thousand year cypress Additionally due to its altitude and scenic location it is known as a prime tourist destination to watch the rising of the sun History editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Early history edit The priest Fushigi visited the location in 771 AD to worship the Kokuzō Bosatsu and the mountain became a spot for sangaku shinkō a form of ancient mountain worship Priest Ennin visited in 836 and Seichō ji became a temple of the Tendai sect The main hall was destroyed by fire caused by lightning in 1096 and was rebuilt by the Provincial Governor Minamoto Chikamoto During the Kamakura period Hōjō Masako established a two story pagoda and a library containing over 4 000 sutras in 1219 Association with Nichiren edit Shortly after under the priest Dōzen Nichiren entered the temple as a student in 1233 at the age of 11 He was formally ordained at 16 and took the Buddhist name Zeshō bō Renchō then left in 1253 to study in Kamakura and elsewhere Because of its history the temple is a daihonzan or important religious center of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism Later history edit In 1618 Tokugawa Hidetada ordered that the temple convert to the Shingon sect to implement a government sponsored Buddhist liturgy In 1949 Seichō ji was converted to a Nichiren temple Important structures and cultural treasures editCentral Gate 1647 Remains of Asahimori sutra mound 1276 Stone treasure pagoda 1407 Inscribed hōkyō stone flag pagoda 1424 Temple bell 1392 Standing bronze Kannon statue Standing wooden Nyorai statueExternal links editNichiren Shu Seichō jiReferences edit Seichō ji 清澄寺 Kokushi Daijiten 国史大辞典 in Japanese Tokyo Shogakukan 2012 Archived from the original on 2007 08 25 Retrieved 2012 04 20 Nichiren Shu Seichō ji Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Seichō ji amp oldid 1152700485, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
