Bannaji

The temple is located in Ashikaga City and is the family temple of the Ashikaga clan, which can still be seen in the samurai residences of the Kamakura period (1185-1333).

The temple was originally built in 1196 by Yoshikane, the second generation of the Ashikaga clan, who built a Buddha hall in his own residence and enshrined Dainichi Nyorai as the guardian deity.

The temple area is almost square, with earthen mounds and moats around it, and covers an area of about 40,000 square meters. It is affectionately called “Dainichi-sama” by local citizens.

The main hall was built in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) as an early example of Zen Buddhism, the latest temple architecture style in China at that time. It was designated a National Treasure in 2013.

The principal deity of the main hall is Dainichi Nyorai in the Womb, the guardian deity for the years of the deuteron and the year of the yeti (the year of the rising sun). On the rear podium are statues of two great masters, Kobo and Kokyo, and the founder, Hakoa Shonin (Ashikaga Yoshikane). The main statues of the Twelve Shrines of the pagoda, which were outside the moat by the time of the Meiji Restoration, are also enshrined here.

In 1922, it was designated as a national historic site as the site of the Ashikaga family residence.

Every year on Setsubun day in February, an armor New Year’s Eve procession is held, which is famous as a heroic Ashikaga samurai event.

The main hall is a national treasure, and the bell tower and sutra storehouse are designated as national important cultural properties. Cherry blossoms in spring and yellow leaves of ginkgo trees in autumn wrap the temple in seasonal colors.

The grounds cover an area of about 40,000 square meters and were originally the residence of the Ashikaga clan. Even today, with gates on all sides, earthen mounds, and a moat, it still retains the appearance of a samurai residence from the late Heian period.

For this reason, it was designated as a national historic site in 1921 as “Historic Site of Ashikaga’s Residence” and is now selected as one of the “100 Best Castles in Japan.

The temple is said to have originated in the early Kamakura period (1185-1333), when Ashikaga Giken, the second generation of the Ashikaga clan, made a vow of devotion and built a Buddhist temple within his own mansion.

After Giken’s death, his son, Yoshiji, built the main hall, which was destroyed by lightning in 1229, but Sadaji Ashikaga renovated it in the Zen Buddhist style. This marked the beginning of the transition to the Zen Buddhist style in Japan.

From the Kamakura to Muromachi periods, the temple was gradually developed into a temple, and was patronized by the Muromachi shogunate and the Kamakura nobles as the Ashikaga clan’s temple.

In addition to the main hall, the belfry and the Zenkyodo Hall are designated as National Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The east gate, west gate, tower gate, pagoda, mausoleum, and drum bridge are also designated as Tochigi Prefecture buildings.

In addition, many precious treasures from the Middle Ages, such as sculptures, documents, and arts and crafts, have been preserved and passed down to the present day.

The local citizens have long known it as “Dainichi-sama.

Bannaji Temple, located in Ietomi-cho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, is the head temple of the Dainichi school of Shingon Buddhism. Known as the clan temple of the Ashikaga clan, it is designated as a national historic site. The main hall is designated as a national treasure and is one of the 100 best castles in Japan.

The official name of Houma-ji Temple is “Kongozan Niouin Hokkebo Houma-ji Temple. The temple enshrines Dainichi Nyorai as its principal deity.

The temple used to be a yakata of the Ashikaga clan, and even today there are gates on all four sides and earthworks and moats surrounding the temple grounds, which remind us of the samurai residences around the Kamakura period.

History

Mid-12th century - Minamoto no Yoshiyasu, the founder of the Ashikaga clan, built a residence (Ashikaga-date) here.
1196 - Ashikaga Yoshikane (whose family name is Haoma) invites Rishin to build the Mochibutsudo and Horiuchi Godo, a hall dedicated to Dainichi Nyorai, in the residence of his family.
1234 - Ashikaga Yoshinaga built the temple and it became a clan temple of the Ashikaga clan.
Nanbokucho Period - Hakoa Temple comes under the control of Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine.
1908 - The main building of Hakoa Temple is designated as a specially protected building (equivalent to today’s Important Cultural Property) under the Law for the Preservation of Ancient Temples and shrines.
March 8, 1922 - The site is designated as a national historic site as the “Ashikaga Family Residence Site.
1950 - The main hall becomes an Important Cultural Property under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties.
1951 - Hakoa Temple becomes independent from the Toyoyama School of Shingon Buddhism as the Dainichi School.
April 6, 2006 - Ashikaga Castle is selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan (15th).
August 7, 2013 - The main hall is designated a National Treasure.

Cultural Property

Main Hall
The main hall is an irimoya-style building with a roof covered with hon-gawara tiles. It is 5 ken in width and 5 ken in depth. The “ma” is the unit of measurement for the distance between pillars. It was built in 1299, but was extensively reconstructed between 1407 and 1432. All the pillars were replaced, and a mukohai was added to the front of the building. The floor plan is in the style of an esoteric Buddhist temple, with the front two rooms as the outer sanctuary and the rear three rooms as the inner and side sanctuaries, but the architectural style is based on Zen Buddhism. The architecture is based on the Zen Buddhist school style, with tsumigumi framework, pillars made of zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), doors made of pan-karado, and walls made of vertical wooden planks. While these are characteristic of Zen Buddhist buildings, they also incorporate elements of Japanese style, such as the kumi-iridoten ceiling and wooden flooring. It was designated a National Treasure in 2013.

Important Cultural Properties (National Designation)

Belfry
Sutra Hall
Gilt bronze Bohakuji Goshodai
One celadon floating peony incense burner and two celadon floating peony vases
Kana-hoke-kyo “Volume 1” has an inscription dated 1330.
Bibliography of Ama-ji Temple, 36 volumes, 8 books, 7 scrolls (615 copies)
5 volumes of Lu Ronsho, autograph annotations of the Analects by Yugang Zuishun (a.k.a. Jiuhua), the 7th principal (principal) of Ashikaga School. This is the only extant copy of the Analects of Lu Lungshu.