Daikakuji


 
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Daikakuji is a temple of Shingon (Esoteric( Buddhism located in Saga, Arashiyama, Kyoto. The temple was once the detached palace of Emperor Saga. In 876, his daughter Empress Seishi converted the palace to the Daikakuji temple and appointed her son, Imperial Prince Gojaku, as the first chief priest. The temple inherited the doctrine of the Kukai, also known as Kobo-Daishi, whose faith Emperor Saga embraced.

In the temple, you can see many famous 'fusuma' (sliding door) paintings from the Momoyama period. Daikakuji is noted for its transcribing sutra practise. Everyday many Buddhists come to the temple to copy the Hannya Shingyo Sutra. It is said that when epidemic sickness was its peak in Kyoto in AD819, the Emperor Saga was told by Kukai to copy the Sutra as an offering to Buddha. Since then the coping of Hannya Shingyo became a must for Buddhists when they pray for good health and recovery from sickness.It is also famous for the Saga Goryu school of Ikebana.

 
 
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Japan 日本
Kyoto 京都
Osawaike 湖