Meigetsu-in

Meigetsu-in 明月院
Main Hall
Religion
Affiliation	Kenchō-ji Rinzai
Deity	Shō Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)
Location
Location	189 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
Country	Japan
Geographic coordinates	35°20′5.97″N 139°33′5.24″E / 35.3349917°N 139.5514556°E / 35.3349917; 139.5514556
Architecture
Founder	Uesugi Norikata
Completed	1394; 629 years ago (1394)
Website
None

Fugenzan Meigetsu-in (福源山明月院) is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Kenchō-ji school in Kita-Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. Famous for its hydrangeas, it's also known as The Temple of Hydrangeas (ajisai-dera). The main object of worship is goddess Shō Kannon (聖観音).

History

Meigetsu-in was built by Uesugi Norikata of the powerful Uesugi clan, and the name itself derives from Norikata's own posthumous name (Meigetsu).^[1] According to 350-year-old records it was originally just the guest rooms of a much bigger temple called Zenkō-ji (禅興寺) which was closed by the government during the Meiji period.^[1] Zenkō-ji was a temple of considerable prestige, being one of the Rinzai Zen temples classified as (Kantō Jissetsu (関東十刹), which were second in importance only to Kamakura's so-called Five Mountains (Kamakura Gozan (鎌倉五山).^[1] Zenkō-ji however didn't survive the anti-Buddhist clampdown (Haibutsu kishaku) that followed the Meiji Restoration.^[1] Meigetsu-in is the owner of a famous 13th century statue of Uesugi Shigefusa, founder of the Uesugi clan.^[1] He is dressed in the picturesque clothes of the dignitaries of the Kamakura period.^[1] The statue is a National Treasure.^[1]

Points of interest

• The temple itself with its beautiful round window (see photo below)
• The temple's garden contains one of the celebrated Ten Wells of Kamakura (鎌倉十の井), the Kame no I (瓶の井)^[1]
• The karesansui, a garden of raked sand, rocks and plants representing legendary Buddhist Mount Shumi.
• The yagura cave dug on the side of a hill is the largest in Kamakura. The small tower at its center is thought to be Norikata's tomb^[1]
• Hōjō Tokiyori's grave^[1]
• The hydrangeas in the garden. The flowers, however famous, are apparently just a recent addition. They were reportedly chosen because of the ease with which they grow.

Getting there

• Get off at JR Yokosuka Line's Kita-Kamakura Station. Walk about ten minutes towards Kamakura on the left side of the train tracks following the signs. Meigetsu-in is on a side street to your left.

See also

• For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meigetsuin.

• Mutsu, Iso (June 1995). Kamakura. Fact and Legend. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-1968-8.
• Kita Kamakura, Kamakura Citizen Network accessed on March 29, 2008
• 明月院, Japanese Wikipedia accessed on March 29, 2008

External links

• Kamakura Trip website "Meigetsu-in Temple" page (in English)

This page was last edited on 22 June 2022, at 22:30