Everything about Enryaku-ji totally explained
Not to be confused with Engakuji in Kamakura.
, a
monastery on
Mount Hiei overlooking
Kyoto, was founded during the late
eighth and early
ninth centuries by
Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the
Tendai sect to
Japan from
China. One of the most significant monasteries in Japanese history, it served as (and still is) the headquarters of the Tendai sect, the Buddhist sect that was popular among the aristocracy of the time and served as foundation for a number of later sects including the
Pure Land,
Zen, and
Nichiren sects.
With the support of the Emperor
Kammu, Saichō ordained a hundred disciples in 807. Maintaining a strict discipline on Mt Hiei, his monks lived in seclusion for twelve years of study and
meditation. After this period of study, the best students were retained in positions in the monastery, and others graduated into positions in the government and court. At the peak of its power, Enryakuji was a huge complex of as many as 3000 sub-temples and a powerful army of warrior monks (僧兵
Sōhei) who were occasionally engaged in power struggles with other monasteries and political leaders. In the tenth century, succession disputes broke out between Tendai monks of the line of
Ennin and
Enchin. These disputes resulted in opposing Tendai centers at Mount Hiei, the
sanmon (山門
Mountain Order) and at
Miidera, the
jimon (寺門
Temple Order).
Warrior monks were used to settle the disputes, and Tendai leaders began to hire mercenary armies who threatened rivals and even marched on the capital to enforce monastic demands.
As part of a program to remove all potential rivals and unite the country, warlord
Oda Nobunaga ended this Buddhist militancy in 1571 by attacking and destroying most of Enryakuji's buildings and monks. The current buildings date from the latter half of the 16th century to the first half of the 17th century, when the temple was reconstructed following a change of government.
Today, most of Enryakuji's attractions consists of three areas: the Tōdō (東塔
East Hall, also the quarters where the former head priest resides), the Saitō (西塔
West Hall, also the abode of a retired head priest from a separate monastery), and the Yokawa (
横川). The monastery's most important buildings are concentrated in the Tōdō.
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