Rinnoji Temple, Nikko-zan

Rinnoji Temple, founded in the Nara period (710-794), is the main temple of Japan and, along with Toeizan and Hieizan, is one of Nikko’s representative temples and shrines, with a vast area of land.

This Rinnoji is the general name for the entire Nikko Mountain, and there are many branch temples within the mountain.

The temple grounds are divided into two areas, with the Sanbutsudo Hall and the Treasure Hall located on the mountain near Toshogu Shrine, which attracts many worshippers. There are also Chuzenji Temple and Onsenji Temple in Oku-Nikko, which also function as branch temples of Rinnoji Temple.

The history of this temple is very old, dating back to the Nara period (710-794). The founder of Nikko, the Nara-period monk Shodo Shonin, built Shihonryuji Temple in 766, and later consolidated the entire Nikko Mountain area. Nikko-zan was regarded as one of the three main temples of the Tendai sect.

The most important structure of Nikko-zan Rinnoji Temple, the Sanbutsudo Hall, enshrines the main Buddha of the three mountains of Nikko.

This wooden structure is the largest on Mt. Nikko and enshrines the three main deities: Senju Kannon (Mt. Nantai), Amida Nyorai (Mt. Onomine), and Matou Kannon (Mt. Tarou).

On April 2 of each year, an ancient ceremony called the “Gyobushi Ceremony” is held in the Sanbutsudo Hall. In this ceremony, a shugenja offers a generous portion of rice to a gokan-tokinin (a person who receives a large portion of rice). It is believed that the recipient of the rice will receive good fortune, such as good health and longevity of family fortune.

The Kongo cherry tree in the front yard of the main hall (Sanbutsu-do) is over 500 years old and is a national natural treasure. The cherry blossoms bloom beautifully in spring, delighting visitors (the best time to see the blossoms is around late April).

One of the most popular traditional events at Nikko-zan Rinnoji Temple is the “Gokukaji” or rice cake pounding. In this event, rice cakes are offered to the main image in the main hall (Sanbutsudo) on December 21.

The sight of the Yamabushi (mountain priests) vigorously pounding rice with pestles has become a winter tradition at Nikko-zan Rinnoji Temple. By the end of the year, the monks pound about 120 kilograms of rice cakes and offer them at about 30 locations on the temple grounds to prepare for the New Year.

Shoyoen, the garden of Rinnoji Temple, is known for its beautiful autumn foliage, and is so famous that light-up events are held there. The scenery is magnificent and attracts visitors.

Since the early Meiji period (1868-1912), due to the Shinto/Buddhist Separation Order, Shoyoen, together with Toshogu Shrine and Futaarasan Shrine, were called “two shrines and one temple”. In the past, they were collectively called “Nikko-zan” (Mt. Nikko), but now “Nikko-zan” is used as the mountain name of Rinno-ji Temple. The name “Rinnoji” is also sometimes used to refer to the entire temple complex within Nikko-san.

The precincts of Rinnoji Temple, together with Toshogu Shrine and Futaarasan Shrine, are designated as a national historic site in the “Nikko Sannai” area, and are also registered as a World Heritage Site as “Shrines and Temples of Nikko”.

Why not take a walk at Rinnoji Temple, a World Heritage Site in Nikko, and feel the history of the temple? Its grand scale and beautiful scenery will give visitors a special experience.

Overview

Rinnoji Temple was founded in the Nara period (710-794) and prospered under the patronage of the Tokugawa family. The temple possesses many national treasures and important cultural properties, and its old buildings, such as the Taiyuin Reibyo (mausoleum of the Taiyuin) and Sanbutsudo (three Buddhist temples), are also worth seeing.

In addition to Rinnoji Temple, there is also Toshogu Shrine and Futaarasan Shrine, collectively known as “Nija Itsuji Temple” in the Nikko Mountain area. Toshogu Shrine enshrines Ieyasu Tokugawa as its deity, while Futaarasan Shrine and Rinnoji Temple were founded in the Nara period (710-794) as temples and shrines of mountain worship. However, the classification of “two shrines and one temple” has been in place since the Meiji era (1868-1912), and the area used to be called “Nikko-yama” (Mt. Nikko) with a mixture of shrines and temples.

Rinnoji Temple has several buildings scattered throughout the temple, belonging to Toshogu and other places. The attribution of some of the buildings is not clear, and the debate continues to this day.

Specifically, the main Sanbutsudo hall and the temple office are located on the grounds of Toshogu Shrine. Also, on the west side of Futaarasan Shrine are the Taiyuin Reibyo (mausoleum), Jogyodo, and Hokkedo. In addition, Chuzenji Temple (Tachigi-Kannon), located on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, also belongs to Rinnoji Temple.

From 2016 to 2017, in commemoration of the 1,250th anniversary of the founding of Rinnoji Temple, a public viewing of the hidden Buddha “Kishoten” was held at Chuzenji Ritsugi Kannon.

Main Hall

The main hall, Sanbutsudo, is the largest wooden structure in eastern Japan. The present building was donated by Tokugawa Iemitsu and completed in 1645. In this main hall, three principal images of Buddha are enshrined as the main Buddhist statues of the three mountains of Nikko. The following is the name, mountain name, deity (dharajakujin), and dimensions of each statue.

Thousand-armed Kannon (Mt. Nantai) = Shingu Gongen = Ohonamuchi no Mikoto - total height 703.6 cm (main image 335.4 cm)
Amida Nyorai (Mt. Onomine) = Takinoo Gongen = Tagorihime no Mikoto - 756.3cm high (main image 306.3cm high)
Bato Kannon (Mt. Taroyama) = Hongu Gongen = Ajisukitakahikone no Mikoto - Total height 744.7 cm (main image 301.3 cm)
Although these Buddhist statues are very large, they have not been designated as cultural properties because the dates and historical background of their creation are unknown. It is hoped that future research will reveal their details.

In the Nikko Mountains, mountains, gods, and Buddha were worshipped as a single entity. The main hall of Rinnoji Temple (Sanbutsu-do) enshrines three main deities (Senju Kannon, Amida Nyorai, and Matou Kannon), based on this form of worship.

History

Rinnoji Temple is said to have been founded by Shodo Shonin, a priest from Shimono-kuni in the Nara period (710-794), but there is no record of his founding in the history books of the time. According to the temple’s legend, Rinnoji Temple was founded in the following manner.

In 766, Shodo Shonin and his disciples arrived at the foot of sacred mountain Nikko, but the torrent of the Oya River blocked their way. Then, a strange looking god with a skull hanging from his neck, Fukasha Daioh, appeared.

The serpents formed a bridge between the two banks of the river, and Katsumichi and his party were able to safely cross over to the other side of the river.

Today, Nikko’s symbolic “Shinbashi” (divine bridge) spans the location of this legend and is also called “Yamasugebashi” (bridge of the Yamasuge serpent).

Fukasha Daioh is said to be the god who saved Tang Dynasty’s Genjo Sanzo from danger when he traveled to Jersey (India) in search of the Buddha Dharma. A shrine to the Great God of Deep Sands still stands on the northern bank of the sacred bridge.

Although the story of the serpent is a legend and not a true story, this legend is thought to reflect the fact that Mt. Nikko has long been a sacred place of mountain worship and that it was a difficult place to reach.

Shodo Shonin found a sacred place on the opposite bank of the Oya River and built a single temple enshrining the thousand-armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. At first, the temple was called “Shiyunritsu-ji,” but it was later renamed “Shihonryu-ji” (Four Dragon Temples).

It is believed that the temple was located near the Inari River (a tributary of the Oya River), more than 1 km away from the current location of Rinnoji Temple. Today, Kannondō Hall and a three-story pagoda (a National Important Cultural Property) stand on the former site of Shihonryū-ji.

The following year, in the first year of Jingo-Keiun (767), Shodo Shonin built a shrine dedicated to the deity of Mt. This was the beginning of Futaarasan Shrine.

The place now called “Hongu Shrine” corresponds to it. Some say that Katsudo enshrined this deity in Enryaku 9 (790).

In 782, Katsudo Shonin succeeded in climbing Mt. Nantai (2,486 meters above sea level), the sacred mountain of Nikko.

Mt. Nantai was named “Futarasan” after Mt. Fudarakusan, which is believed to be the abode of Kannon Bosatsu, and later came to be called “Nikkou = Nikko,” which is believed to be the origin of the place name “Nikko. Buddhist ritual implements from the Nara period (710-794) have been excavated from the ruins atop Nantai-san, confirming that the mountain was a sacred place of mountain worship.

In 784, Shodo Shonin built Chuzenji Temple on the shore of Lake Chuzenji at the foot of Mt. This was built as a place of far-off worship on Mt. Nantai during the winter season.

Today, Chuzenji Temple, known as the “Tachiki Kannon” (Goddess of Mercy), still exists, but the original building on the north shore of the lake was washed away by a mountain tsunami during the Meiji period (1868-1912) and has now been relocated to the east shore of the lake.

Heian Period

Since its foundation, Rinnoji Temple has been visited by Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, and Ennin (Jikaku Daishi), a high priest of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Ennin is said to have visited in 848 and built Sanbutsudo, Jogyodo, and Hokke-do.

From this time on, Rinnoji Temple developed as a temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism (all of these existing halls were rebuilt in modern times).

The style of two halls of the same style, called “Jogyodo” and “Hokkeido,” is unique to the Tendai sect, and similar halls were also built at Enryakuji and Kan’eiji temples.

Kamakura Period

Around 1240-1242, Minamoto no Sanetomo moved the main hall to the current location of Nikko Toshogu Shrine. From then on, the shrine prospered with the support of the Shogunate and the powerful powerful families of the Kanto region. It seems that the worship of the three gods of Mt. Nantai, Mt. Onomine, and Mt. Taro as “Nikko Sansho-gongen” took root during this period.

Warring States Period

During the Warring States Period, Rinnoji Temple came under the de facto protection of the Mibu clan through the schemes of Mibu Tsunafusa. 1590, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi conquered Odawara, Rinnoji Temple’s territory was confiscated for its support of the Hojo clan, and the temple temporarily declined.

Edo Period

In the early modern period, restoration of the temple progressed under the high priest Tenkai of the Tendai sect, and in 1617, Toshogu Shrine was established to worship Tokugawa Ieyasu as a god, at which time the main hall was moved near the current shrine office of Nikko Futaarasan Shrine.

In 1647, Tokugawa Iemitsu rebuilt the collapsed main hall to its present size (33 m wide, 22 m deep, and 26 m high).

In 1653, the Taiyuin Reibyo, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, was established. Unlike Toshogu Shrine, the Taiyuin mausoleum was built in the Buddhist temple style, and has been owned by Rinnoji since modern times.

In 1655, the temple was given the name “Rinnoji” by the imperial decree of Emperor Gosuio (before that, the temple name was “Manganji,” which was given by Emperor Saga in the Heian period), and Prince Moricho, the third prince of Emperor Gosuio, entered the temple.

From then on, the abbot of Rinnoji Temple was Hochio (an ordained male member of the imperial family), and as the resident imperial family in the Kanto region, he came to be known as “Rinnoji Monzeki” or “Rinnoji Miya”. This monzeki was not hereditary, but was recognized as a palace family.

He was also called “Sanzan Kanryo Miya” (Palace of the Three Mountain Administrations). Prince Kogen, who later became Prince Nohisa of Kitashirakawa, was also a member of the Rinnoji Monzeki family. The Rinnoji family was also the abbot of Rinnoji Temple and Kan’eiji Temple (the family temple of the Tokugawa Shoguns) in Ueno, Edo, and had the authority over all of Hieizan, Nikko, and Ueno.

It is said that having the imperial family stationed in the East served as a safeguard so that if an overthrowing force rose up in the West under the name of the imperial family, the Rinnoji Palace would be the “emperor” in the Kanto region and the Tokugawa family would not be unilaterally declared the “imperial enemy” (Reference: Ouetsu Confederation, Prince Nokyu Kitashirakawa (Emperor of the Tobu)). After the Meiji Era

After Meiji Era

After the Boshin War in 1869 (Meiji 2), the title of Rinnoji was taken away by the Meiji government and reverted to its former name, “Manganji.

In 1871 (Meiji 4), the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order was enforced, and due to pressure from the government, the main hall was moved to its current location.

Initially, the Sanbutsudo was scheduled to be torn down, but thanks to the efforts of Kido Takayoshi, the demolition was cancelled and the building was moved to its original location and became the main hall of Rinnoji Temple. The main building of the Rinnoji Palace was also destroyed by fire.

However, in 1883, thanks to the efforts of Tochigi Prefecture, Rinnoji was recognized as the official name of the temple.

Heisei Great Repair of Sanbutsudo Hall

From 2007 (Heisei 19) to 2018 (Heisei 19), the Sanbutsudo Hall underwent a major repair work.

Rinnoji Temple Treasure Hall

This hall preserves valuable materials (tangible treasures) that tell the story of more than 1,200 years of Nikko-san’s history.

The repository holds approximately 30,000 fixtures, including 59 volumes of the national treasure Mahanirvana Sutra Collection, 51 important cultural properties (1618 items), and 4 important works of art (7 items), with approximately 50 items on display in the viewing room at any given time.

There is also a permanent exhibition of valuable treasures, including those of Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Shoyoen

Shoyoen is famous in Nikko for its autumn foliage and was created in the early Edo period as a garden for the Rinnoji Monzeki. According to one theory, the garden was created by Enshu Kobori, a master gardener, and was completed in the Kan’ei era (1600-1644).

Since then, the garden has undergone numerous renovations, and it is an interesting masterpiece that shows changes throughout the Edo period.

This small but beautiful garden features a moss-covered pond with a circular path around it. Nantai-san can be seen in the distance, making it an attractive borrowed landscape garden.

There is a small island in the center of the pond with two bridges, one made of boards and the other of stone. The kare-taki waterfall arrangement and the waterfall stone arrangement made of giant stones are splendid and create a luxurious atmosphere.

Rhododendrons, azaleas, and azaleas bloom in the spring, and the autumn leaves add color in the fall.